Suggests the small school provides an excellent environment for successful mainstreaming and that the principal can provide intervention and leadership for professionals, which leads to interaction with each other and on behalf of the special students. Discusses team teaching, the principal as a model, and shared leadership. (AH)

Advice to smaller schools about how to write a program on planned maintenance, develop a planned maintenance book format, use the book, and implement the program. (Author/MLF)

Reports results of a survey of Idaho programs of cooperation between schools or districts. Reveals 75 percent of responding schools participate in one or more cooperative efforts and report sharing to be a successful practice. Describes major advantage of curriculum variety, but disadvantages of problems with coordination, transportation, and…

Recommends that when counselors are available on only part-time basis, they incorporate consulting and enabling model as foundation of their guidance program. Provides rationale for such a program. Describes one such guidance program with part-time counselor in small, rural school for kindergarten through grade eight. (NB)

Describes school economics programs developed by Junior Achievement, with particular emphasis on Junior Achievement's Applied Economics course for high school students and recent efforts by Junior Achievement to implement this course in rural high schools across America. Course can be taught via satellite. (KS)

Summarizes findings of a study exploring student attitudes to schools of different size. A semantic differentiate scale of attitude toward school was completed by 4,746 (British) pupils from 192 primary or junior schools. Those attending schools of 60 or fewer showed more positive attitudes than those attending larger schools. (45 references) (MLH)

With administrative support, guidance from Georgia Southern University's middle-grades program, and much hard work, teachers at a rural Georgia elementary school (K-7) have fashioned a developmentally appropriate middle-grades program. The results are greater middle-grade/high school articulation, an exploratory curriculum, differentiated student…

Assisted by a sophisticated telecommunications system, 90 small, rural Minnesota schools collaborated to influence state legislation regarding funding equity and other issues. Small-school strategies for building political activism include seizing available opportunities, developing leadership capacity, involving political constituents,…

The Small Schools Curriculum Project in Newfoundland aims to develop curricular and pedagogical solutions to the problems identified with multigrade classrooms. Concludes that multigrade classrooms are (1) a prevalent and permanent feature of education in Newfoundland; (2) a unique form of educational organization; and (3) potentially feasible…

Lopez Island Middle and High School has integrated science and technology courses into an activity-oriented curriculum. Teaching the design process and systems approach demystifies technology and fosters critical thinking and problem solving. (SK)

At Midway High School (Kansas) and other small schools of the Midwest and West, eight-man football is the biggest show in town, allowing participation by many students and rousing community support for the school. Supporters say the teams are essential to school and community identity. In Kansas, however, special state funding that keeps small…

Discusses public education trends and ways in which schools can support these initiatives through smaller school design. Planning community schools that make a positive contribution to students and the community is explored. (GR)

This article describes the experience of teaching in a small school in New York City. It is observed that this offers opportunities for individuals to grow independently and to understand their impact on community and society. As they bridge the gap between becoming a teacher and understanding how to build bridges for children that are moving…

Education reformers have increasingly invested in developing collaborative communities within schools as a central strategy for improving teaching and student learning. This strategy comes in various guises, including small schools, small learning communities, and teacher teams. Several assumptions about how these communities will enhance…

There is widespread concern in many US cities about student alienation, dropout and under-achievement in large urban high schools. Chicago, with support from the Gates Foundation and other agencies, has embarked on a major reform involving the establishment of new small schools and the division of larger schools into smaller ones. This article…