Although conventional wisdom tells us that small schools and small districts are the best way to go, that may no always be the case. Last week, the Open Education blog posted an article on the school district consolidation taking place in Maine. I ahve experience with large and small school districts beign measured by student population and geographic area. Large districts and large schools are able to offer some things that smaller ones are not, such as: specializaed classes, more diversity, more choices. However, they also the personal feel that smaller institutions can have and sometimes wind up being a dureacuracy. Smaller districts and schools have the (possible) advantages of: personal relationships, shorter commute times, staff and teachers with enhanced knowledge of the community, closer friendships btween families. While people do like the idea of a neighborhood school, sometimes what a larger school and district can offer are strong arguments towards their presnece. Additionally, as Jonathan Kozol and others have mentuoned, some of the very small districts in places like New Jersey and Massachusetts can have problems complying with integration orders because they are so small they serve only a homogeneous neighborhood.
The establishment of smaller learning communities (smaller separated school units within a school)
is being tried around the country, including my school in southern California.
So far, the plan does not seem to have a positive impact on test scores, as was hoped.
But there are other benefits to the structure in terms of student socialization and better teacher-student relationships.
I just hope that the smaller learning communities strategy isn't abandoned by schools wholesale when test scores don't go up. It does have some benefits, just not where school administrators wanted it to be. This is a teacher's worry, because we have seen good ideas abandoned before, just because adminstrations didn't see it as a panacea.