For several years, small primary schools in England and Wales have been threatened with closure because of feasibility and educational quality concerns. This article argues that school effectiveness depends not on size or age distribution, but on teaching methods, curriculum and staff organization, resource availability, collegial interaction, and…

A study of school achievement and student-income data for 54 Wichita (Kansas) Public Schools over three years revealed six "breakthrough" elementary schools with above-average achievement and proportions of poor students. These schools shared three characteristics: positive school climate, smaller school size, and structural leadership…

Argues that it is important for beginning teachers to receive part of their training in a small school like Latino Youth Alternative High School at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Relates how the program functions; gives Latino students' and tutors' reasons for appreciating it. Includes responses about teacher-student relationships as key to a…

A visit to a Montana one-room school reveals the characteristics and advantages of one-room schools. Small schools are crucial to student success in early grades and students from small schools tend to outperform their peers. Large schools are borrowing features such as multiage classrooms, peer tutoring, and interdisciplinary projects as they…

Describes how a vertical teaching team established a school-within-a-school for grades 1 to 4 at Narcoossee Community School in St. Cloud, Florida. Includes planning, space allocation, curriculum content, and across-grade coordination. Describes benefits to teachers and students. (PKP)

Describes how several small schools have collaborated with the community and shared facilities, such as a former church, a former carriage factory, a medical complex, and a community college. Some of these small schools use social-service agency staff, others create schools-within-schools, and still others become charter schools. (PKP)

An investigation revealed that New York City educators were helping students cheat on standardized tests. Some state education officials are easing tough standards in response to student failure and public complaints. An Ohio court rejected vouchers for Cleveland's religious schools. A study showed smaller schools are better for poor and…

For those who would like to see Ron Wolk's vision of schools realized, the challenge of scaling up is the most daunting one faced. Skeptics like to say, "Oh well, that 'X' and 'Y' did something really special is irrelevant; they're exceptions." But the author's experience suggests that today's exceptions can become tomorrow's norms. If that is to…

This study represents the first attempt to assess the impact of the school consolidation movement on the quality of students' education during the period of greatest consolidation, from 1930 to 1970. Using data from the 1980 U.S. Census, the author looked at one million white males born between 1920 and 1949 to see how characteristics of the…

The Black-White gap in completed schooling among Southern born men narrowed sharply between the World Wars after being stagnant from 1880 to 1910. We examine a large scale school construction project, the Rosenwald Rural Schools Initiative, which was designed to dramatically improve the educational opportunities for Southern rural Blacks. From…

Education Resource Strategies (ERS) works with school and district leaders to help them more strategically use resources--people, time, and money--to improve student performance. They have found that many school districts begin creating small high schools without a clear sense of how much they will spend or how to ensure that small schools…

Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) has worked for over ten years to improve educational opportunities in low-income neighborhoods in Oakland, California. The work of thousands of parent, teacher, youth, and community leaders has resulted in the formation of nearly fifty new small schools and more than ten charters, creating settings for…

More than $20 billion a year currently is being spent to construct public schools. Hundreds of billions are being spent to carry out public education. Everyone wants the best possible use of that money. Families want safe, nurturing, challenging, and effective schools for their children. Community members and policy-makers want schools to be…

In 1998, when "Teachers--meeting the challenge of change" was published by the English Department for Education and Skills (DfES), one of the most fundamental reforms of the teaching profession was initiated--performance management. In 2005, all schools became subject to "Light Touch Validation" of their performance management…

In this essay, Rebecca Zwick confronts the controversy surrounding the use of standardized tests in college admissions. She examines the degree to which the SAT and its lesser known cousin, the ACT, limit access to college, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, and considers two alternative admissions policies that do not involve tests:…