A large Baltimore high school has shown how personalizing relationships and focusing the curriculum can turn around an unsafe school and create a climate conducive to learning. The school adopted the Talent Development model, which created six smaller units or academies. Instead of suspending or transferring ill-behaved students, Patterson…

Supported by its local school board and unimpeded by innovation-blocking rules and regulations, the Minnesota New Country Charter School launched a nationally recognized program featuring a course-free structure, individualized learning, and an emphasis on technology. This charter school has helped stimulate improvements in the other district…

Describes Sacramento City Unified School District's (California) plans to transform large high schools of 2,000-2,500 students to small learning communities of 200-300 students. (PKP)

Despite the importance of school libraries' and media centers' role in applying new technologies and developing innovative teaching methods, the 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey data show a mixed picture of these facilities' staff resources. Libraries are in most U.S. public and private schools, but are understaffed, particularly in smaller…

Deborah Meier, coprincipal of Central Park East Secondary School in New York City, never uses "alternative" to describe her school, because that term implies that traditional schooling is acceptable. Creating smaller schools, granting parental choice, hiring intellectually curious teachers, and discussing what it means to be educated are…

An acclaimed former New York City principal says small school size is an absolute prerequisite for school reform. Smallness, to be effective, must be accompanied by control over budget, staffing, scheduling, and the specifics of curriculum and assessment. (MLF)

Identified characteristics perceived by students, educators, school board members, and the community to be the most important indicators of school quality in small school districts in Kansas. Determined the degree to which characteristics are present in selected small and rural schools. Respondents perceived their schools positively on the…

Reviews "Overcoming Risk: An Annotated Bibliography of Publications Developed by ERIC Clearinghouses," by Wendy Schwartz and Craig Howley which also contains two critical essays on the definition and measurement of risk. In addition, the bulletin contains an index of "fugitive literature" related to rural education and small…

Although students in rural and small schools have certain advantages over urban students, middle-level students in Nebraska and other rural areas tend to be forgotten students that get all the leftovers, including shared staff, facilities, and schedules. Educators involved in the MARS Project and the Nebraska Middle Level Academy have made several…

The Hastings Alternative School Program (HASP), designed for at-risk students, operates within Hastings-on-Hudson (New York) High School's regular program. Students are given an external structure and set of expectations enforced by an accountability system stressing communication and student responsibility. Nearly half of all HASP students go on…

Examination of interviews and surveys provides an overview of the problems and needs of rural school teachers in multigrade classrooms. A review of research and teacher reports in the U.S. and other countries compares instructional methods in multigrade and single grade classrooms. Implications for teacher preparation, classroom organization, and…

Discusses consolidation as a method to reduce the costs of rural education. Describes the interrelatedness of the rural economy and rural education. Enumerates advantages and disadvantages of small schools. Suggests that educational reform should focus on the unique circumstances of rural schools. (KS)

A survey of 725 rural and small school teachers and principals in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas examined the nature and content of staff development activities, and educator definitions, preferences, and satisfaction related to staff development. (SV)

The national trend toward consolidating schools has been driven by numerous factors, including fascination with economies of scale. Although small schools can claim advantages arising from a more intimate, caring atmosphere, large schools can boast specialized faculty teaching more sophisticated curricula. There is no optimal school size.…

East Hill Farm and School is a K-6 school with 12 students, 4 teachers, and intensive parent involvement. Teachers and parents believe that learning is built upon the experience and expression of feelings as well as the mastery of skills. Entries from a teacher's journal describe events and activities. (SV)