Discussed are the problems presented by declining enrollment; the effects on teachers; the management of curriculum; implications for inservice education; and the need for increased expenditures per student in smaller schools. (KC)

The Head of Upper Nidderdale High School in North Yorkshire shows how a small 11-16 comprehensive can provide a common core curriculum and a choice of options that keeps career doors open. (Editor)

Examines four models for secondary education (magnet schools, school reform models, small high schools, and Catholic high schools) that have been shown to strongly improve educational outcomes for urban minority children, or at least strongly influence the reform movement, explaining why the comprehensive high school design has failed in urban…

A Montana teacher in a very small high school describes how SIMMS Integrated Mathematics has helped students to develop better problem-solving skills and better oral and written communication skills, has contributed to increased student enrollment in a fourth year of high school mathematics, and has taught students to use technology tools in…

Argues that the small school is intrinsically neither good or bad but just unique as an educational setting. Discusses declining enrollment, growing societal concern about the products of public school education, and distance learning technology as forces shaping the future of small schools. (SV)

Reviews a book that overviews the history of rural England and the factors that contributed to the decline of England's rural communities. One hundred years later in rural America, similar factors and pervasive cultural assumptions about rural ignorance are related to the shifting of political and economic power away from rural communities. (LP)

The Eight-Year Study was a landmark attempt to design, implement, and evaluate democratic secondary schools. Reexamining this 1930s initiative allows us to consider how democratic priorities can transform educational practice, evaluation, and policy analysis. The norms, values, and technologies that currently guide mainstream analysis are poorly…

Asserts that the challenge facing music educators today is to provide students with enriching music instruction within a changing educational environment. Describes a four-phase program adopted by a small rural Texas school district that helped improve music education within a limited budget. (CFR)

A significant number of American high schools are trying to restructure the traditional organization by designing smaller house plans, advisory systems, and block schedules enabling them to serve today's students' diverse needs. Besides helping to personalize learning, such nontraditional schooling alternatives can help create a healthy…

Presents information on trends in school district size, briefly considers the relationship between school size and student performance, discusses the rationale and consequences of consolidation of small and rural schools, and briefly outlines positive views on small schools. (IAH)

At Annenberg Rural Challenge sites, people in small U.S. communities have gathered their resources and organized their schools so as to reclaim rural places and traditions facing economic or political eradication. Educational innovations and practices at various sites are described, and their application to urban settings is discussed. Includes 10…

For one year, four Fairbanks (Alaska) teachers struggled through the process of laying the foundations of Chinook Charter School, a K-8 school serving 75 students. The school's philosophy respects children as learners, supports individualized student-centered instruction, and encourages substantial parent involvement. (SV)

Discusses collaboration among small rural schools in Wales and how such collaboration is supported by the education authorities. Recent legislation led to the reorganization of Welsh education authorities and this, together with new demands and reduced resources, affected their support for small rural schools. Three models of school collaboration…

The trend toward bigness and consolidation continues unabated, driven by political, economic, social, and demographic considerations, rather than extensive research attesting to small schools' educational benefits. School size influences social interaction and degree of student alienation. We need to reclaim the small school's sense of community,…

Examines public debate over private education in the context of the Hollywood dramatic feature film. Analyses four recent films that all portray private schools negatively. Film representation of public schools is more optimistic. Asserts that the films ignore or misrepresent three strengths of private education: effective leadership, small school…