Small schools now, big results later
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2738/1/Small-schools-now-big-results-later/Page1.html
Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
By Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
Published on 05/28/2008
After increasing during most of the 20th century and peaking in the late 1960s, the national high school graduation rate has leveled off at around 70 percent in the last few years, the Department of Education says. The numbers are even worse for Black and Latino students. Only about 55 percent of African American students and 53 percent of Latinos graduate, according to a Manhattan Institute study.
Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
After increasing during most of the 20th century and peaking in the late 1960s, the national high school graduation rate has leveled off at around 70 percent in the last few years, the Department of Education says. The numbers are even worse for Black and Latino students. Only about 55 percent of African American students and 53 percent of Latinos graduate, according to a Manhattan Institute study.
While there is continuing debate over the reasons for these declines, school size, especially for high schools, is often cited as a contributing factor. Hundreds of high schools nationally, urban and suburban, have populations exceeding 2,500 students. The anonymity such large schools can produce has been blamed for problems from poor student achievement to open acts of student violence. The most common reason given by student dropouts is, “Nobody cared whether I left or stayed.”
Some communities have chosen to address these problems by establishing freestanding small schools. Others have divided large high schools into smaller “schools within a school.” And the more there are, the larger the body of research becomes. While researchers have not agreed on the definition of “small,” they agree on several points:
• Under the right conditions, smaller schools produce increased improved attendance rates, better test scores, increased participation in extracurricular activities and higher .graduation rates.
• Smaller schools appear to encourage higher levels of parental involvement and satisfaction, as well as better communication between parents and teachers.
• Teachers in small schools generally feel they can be more influential in student learning than teachers in larger schools.
• There appears to be a strong correlation between smaller school size and improved performance among poor students in urban school districts.
The Governor’s Solution
In Michigan, one out of every four high schools has failed to meet goals mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years. And increasing dropout rates continue to plague our education system. In her 2008 State of the State address, Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed the smaller school concept as a way to address the problems and better prepare students for college and workplace success.
Her 21st Century Schools Fund proposal would use more than $300 million to help Michigan school districts replace large, impersonal high schools that have not made Adequate Yearly Progress for at least two consecutive years with small high schools. These schools will employ strong personal relationships, consistent discipline and real-world relevance to help at-risk students achieve high academic performance.
In exchange for autonomy, schools created under the 21st Century Schools Fund would be held accountable to goals based on academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollments.
The 21st Century Schools Fund would be financed with $32 million from the School Aid Fund that had been dedicated through FY08 to make payments to school districts related to the Durant settlement. The state will bond against these annual revenues to allow the 21st Century Schools Fund to issue grants over the next three years.
The Gates Foundation
This approach is endorsed by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s richest philanthropic organization, wants to use “small” to redefine American high schools, primarily by bridging the gap between options available to the rich versus those for the poor. Their focus is on how to deliver quality instruction in a way that kids learn. School size is the facilitator, providing an environment where students will know each other and adults will know the kids on an individual basis. And they have funded more than a dozen city and statewide efforts to achieve that.
Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Plan
Dr. Connie Calloway, Detroit Public Schools superintendent, enthusiastically supports the concept and has visited several states to observe the progress made by “small schools” elsewhere. I recently had the privilege to travel with Dr. Calloway to Providence, R.I., where I saw how successful a small, state-funded high school can be compared with larger, impersonal schools. I also had the opportunity, courtesy of the Gates Foundation, to observe similar successful efforts in New York and Atlanta.
As a result, Dr. Calloway recently announced a plan for an ambitious revamping for Detroit Public Schools. Phase One involves five schools, each of which will be divided into separate schools within the same campus, with a maximum of 450 students each. Each school would have its own curriculum dedicated to various interests, with its own private business partners. The smaller schools would have advanced academic standards, and would better prepare students for the new work world. They would be developed in collaboration with the community, business partners and other stakeholders.
The Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations Committee cut the $32 million from the K-12 budget that was intended for the 21st century Schools Fund and the smaller schools initiative. On March 26 of this year, I offered an amendment to the K-12 budget bill that would restore the $32 million necessary for this valuable program. My amendment was defeated along strict party lines.
These are our children and our future. How can we not fund this initiative?
After increasing during most of the 20th century and peaking in the late 1960s, the national high school graduation rate has leveled off at around 70 percent in the last few years, the Department of Education says. The numbers are even worse for Black and Latino students. Only about 55 percent of African American students and 53 percent of Latinos graduate, according to a Manhattan Institute study. The national high school graduation rate has leveled off
Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
After increasing during most of the 20th century and peaking in the late 1960s, the national high school graduation rate has leveled off at around 70 percent in the last few years, the Department of Education says. The numbers are even worse for Black and Latino students. Only about 55 percent of African American students and 53 percent of Latinos graduate, according to a Manhattan Institute study.
While there is continuing debate over the reasons for these declines, school size, especially for high schools, is often cited as a contributing factor. Hundreds of high schools nationally, urban and suburban, have populations exceeding 2,500 students. The anonymity such large schools can produce has been blamed for problems from poor student achievement to open acts of student violence. The most common reason given by student dropouts is, “Nobody cared whether I left or stayed.”
Some communities have chosen to address these problems by establishing freestanding small schools. Others have divided large high schools into smaller “schools within a school.” And the more there are, the larger the body of research becomes. While researchers have not agreed on the definition of “small,” they agree on several points:
• Under the right conditions, smaller schools produce increased improved attendance rates, better test scores, increased participation in extracurricular activities and higher .graduation rates.
• Smaller schools appear to encourage higher levels of parental involvement and satisfaction, as well as better communication between parents and teachers.
• Teachers in small schools generally feel they can be more influential in student learning than teachers in larger schools.
• There appears to be a strong correlation between smaller school size and improved performance among poor students in urban school districts.
The Governor’s Solution
In Michigan, one out of every four high schools has failed to meet goals mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years. And increasing dropout rates continue to plague our education system. In her 2008 State of the State address, Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed the smaller school concept as a way to address the problems and better prepare students for college and workplace success.
Her 21st Century Schools Fund proposal would use more than $300 million to help Michigan school districts replace large, impersonal high schools that have not made Adequate Yearly Progress for at least two consecutive years with small high schools. These schools will employ strong personal relationships, consistent discipline and real-world relevance to help at-risk students achieve high academic performance.
In exchange for autonomy, schools created under the 21st Century Schools Fund would be held accountable to goals based on academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollments.
The 21st Century Schools Fund would be financed with $32 million from the School Aid Fund that had been dedicated through FY08 to make payments to school districts related to the Durant settlement. The state will bond against these annual revenues to allow the 21st Century Schools Fund to issue grants over the next three years.
The Gates Foundation
This approach is endorsed by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s richest philanthropic organization, wants to use “small” to redefine American high schools, primarily by bridging the gap between options available to the rich versus those for the poor. Their focus is on how to deliver quality instruction in a way that kids learn. School size is the facilitator, providing an environment where students will know each other and adults will know the kids on an individual basis. And they have funded more than a dozen city and statewide efforts to achieve that.
Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Plan
Dr. Connie Calloway, Detroit Public Schools superintendent, enthusiastically supports the concept and has visited several states to observe the progress made by “small schools” elsewhere. I recently had the privilege to travel with Dr. Calloway to Providence, R.I., where I saw how successful a small, state-funded high school can be compared with larger, impersonal schools. I also had the opportunity, courtesy of the Gates Foundation, to observe similar successful efforts in New York and Atlanta.
As a result, Dr. Calloway recently announced a plan for an ambitious revamping for Detroit Public Schools. Phase One involves five schools, each of which will be divided into separate schools within the same campus, with a maximum of 450 students each. Each school would have its own curriculum dedicated to various interests, with its own private business partners. The smaller schools would have advanced academic standards, and would better prepare students for the new work world. They would be developed in collaboration with the community, business partners and other stakeholders.
The Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations Committee cut the $32 million from the K-12 budget that was intended for the 21st century Schools Fund and the smaller schools initiative. On March 26 of this year, I offered an amendment to the K-12 budget bill that would restore the $32 million necessary for this valuable program. My amendment was defeated along strict party lines.
These are our children and our future. How can we not fund this initiative?