Analyzes the ritual socialization of parents into a school community at the annual potluck of a small rural elementary school (through grade 5) in Virginia. The analysis shows how the communication and construction of values and beliefs take place in this small, parent-run school with an enrollment under 55. (SLD)

A study comparing block scheduling in small high schools to a traditional schedule surveyed 62 administrators and 152 teachers of small Missouri high schools. Findings indicate that administrators and teachers are supportive of block scheduling and that block scheduling stimulates changes in teacher methodology, improves school climate, and…

A survey of K-8 school districts in northwest Nebraska examined whether part-time principals mandated by Nebraska legislation were improving the school's instructional setting, as perceived by the school board president. The 41 responses of school board presidents rated importance and existence of 9 factors of the principal's role. Includes…

Evaluations of rural and small schools done by stakeholders provide a broader base of involvement than those done internally by persons with a vested interest or potential conflict of interest. Presents tasks for initiating a stakeholders' evaluation, groups considered to be stakeholders, evaluation standards, and elements to include in a school…

This Finnish study linked two secondary school classrooms to one virtual classroom to enhance the quality of education in small schools. Discusses advantages, including the rapid development of pragmatism and intellectual and social partnership; and disadvantages, including a lack of intimacy and students' difficulties with self discipline and…

Describes several schools that have embraced the trend toward smaller schools and shared facilities, resulting in higher student achievement and improved morale for students, faculty, and parents. (EV)

Describes several reasons, based largely on dissatisfaction with New York City bureaucracy, why principal of International High School in Queens decided to accept invitation to become a charter school: Student selection challenges; need for school-based staffing; scheduling, financial, and purchasing rigidities; and state assessment requirements.…

Describes seven school downsizing models adopted by school districts in several states to create small schools and schools-within-schools, including inadequacy of "policy by exception." Discusses policy-related challenges of schools-within-schools and small schools. Argues that state and school district policies and structures need to support, not…

Discusses the impact of school size on interdisciplinary teaming, developmentally appropriate classroom practices, school climate, and student outcomes, based on a study of 140 Michigan middle grade schools. Finds that there is no simple answer to the issue of school size; however teaming seems to make smaller schools better and larger schools…

Simply carving up a large comprehensive high school into several smaller schools does not guarantee improvement. In this article, the authors find that key lessons garnered from numerous small-school conversions can guide school leaders through the cultural changes that must accompany the structural ones if small schools are to fulfill their…

In this article, the author argues that small high schools offer the kinds of environments needed to try out some of newer ideas in school redesign. The author also argues that states and districts should pay attention to what these new institutions are making possible.

Imagine a school that offers its students a safe environment, a rigorous college-prep curriculum, high expectations for student responsibility, and individualized attention. In this article, the author describes such a school, but it is not an elite private school for the wealthy. It is the Street Academy in Oakland, California, which serves a…

The need for small human scale learning environments in which young people have the chance to learn what it means to be human, in other words to become educated, has never been more pressing. This article reviews the progress of the American small school reform movement, considers the lessons that teachers and policy makers in the UK might learn…

Available research supports a belief that a high-quality mathematics education for high school students cannot be accomplished unless a highly qualified mathematics teacher is in the classroom. This author primarily addresses the need for small, rural schools in Missouri to employ such highly-qualified mathematics teachers, although he also states…

Since 2002 the Consortium on Chicago School Research, in collaboration with the Mills College in Oakland, California, has conducted a series of studies on the Chicago High School Redesign Initiative (CHSRI)--a partnership between Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the Gates Foundation, and local Chicago foundations to create approximately two dozen…