Why Small Learning Communities?
“In the last fifty years, the average size of high schools has changed from having fewer than 1,000 students to now having over 1,500 students. Research overwhelmingly supports the notion that student in kindergarten through high school are more successful when they attend small schools. In fact, smaller learning environments positively affect grades, test scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, drug and alcohol use, and school safety. Moreover, smaller, more personalized learning structures seem to provide the setting for other high school reforms, perhaps because change is easier to implement in a smaller setting. In Schools that Work: America’s Most Innovative Public Education Programs, the author suggests that making schools smaller is the first step toward enhancing school conditions and improving student outcomes (1992). Analysis of various high school reform efforts also underscores “scaling down” as a common contributor for success.
