Although great interest surrounds class size as a policy instrument, inferences on its effects are controversial. Recent work highlights a particular way to consider the endogeneity issues that affect this variable: class size is often correlated with enrollment, which in turn may be related to socioeconomic status (SES). This paper shows why such…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the governance issues in school districts with 500 or less students; Methodology: An online survey was constructed using items from the National School Board Survey. The survey was sent to the Texas school board presidents of districts with 500 or less students. The survey had five conceptual…

Case studies of five small and isolated rural schools in the south-central United States examined their participation and success in the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program. The schools included three elementary schools and two K-12 unit schools serving 71-473 students. All were at least 50 miles from a metropolitan area and…

This report examines educational expenditures for all Minnesota public schools for the 1997-98 school year and finds that the cost of educating children in smaller schools was higher than in larger schools. Empirical evidence is presented to demonstrate that a more precise relationship between enrollment and expenditures is log-linear, rather than…

This speech is about respect for small things and suggests that schooling could benefit from the care and attention enabled by a smaller scale. Among the points made are that, yes, all children can learn, but that is no big deal. Schooling should contribute to their education, but schooling is far from being identical with education. Learning…

In September 2002, 17 New Century high schools opened their doors to students as part of an ambitious, citywide initiative to make the high school experience relevant, engaging, and productive for New York City youth. Deliberately sited in Department of Education-designated low-performing high schools, these schools enroll students who are often…

Author describes problems of mythical small church-related" liberal arts college. Discusses difficulties such colleges have in meeting today's changing educational demands, and problems of obtaining funding from conservative alumni, who wish schools to remain bastions of traditionalism. (JB)

The implementation of a three-year nongraded electives program in high school English and social studies achieved particular success in providing: a close correlation between English and social studies; incentive produced by age differential within classrooms; and a phase system" which allowed students to select their own ability levels. (Authors)

Describes individualized professional development activities for rural teachers based on plans developed from taking the Job Motivation Assessment Survey, analyzed by the program coordinator, and then set forth on a brief worksheet document for reference. (AH)

Describes four small school programs, i.e., curriculum enrichment through use of volunteer instructors, "Saturday Class" assignments for disciplinary purposes, elementary science classes visiting high school classes, and improving basic instruction through meaningful inservice programs. (AH)

The effects of the learning environments of small and large schools on the personality development of students were explored. Multiple regression analysis revealed the effects of school size to be reflected in only two of eight variables: sense of cohesion and concern for persons. (Author/JM)

Outlines the experiences of one small district in introducing microcomputers. Lessons learned concern a computer checkout procedure and teacher inservice training. (JM)

Presents a model for sharing resources and services between small schools; the model is currently being utilized in four small school districts in the midwestern United States. (Author/WD)

Briefly traces history of decline and resurgence of rural communities, discusses school consolidation and studies on per pupil costs, travel costs, energy conservation and community pride and identity as factors in maintaining small rural schools. (AN)