ED466010 - Small by Design: Resizing America's High Schools. View Points

This booklet provides a short review of the literature on the small-schools movement and describes the common features of effective ~ small schools, as well as offering examples qf two schools that have met with success. It gives a closer look at small-'schoolsfacilities and outlines six necessary considerations for local and state leaders. The text also lists six questions state-level decision-makers should ask when considering small schools. Two audio CDs accompany the booklet featuring interviews with leaders such as Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Valerie Lee, professor of education at the University of Michigan; and Craig Howley, director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. The educators discuss the small-schools movement, what it can mean to a school, the advantages and challenges associated with designing a small school, and the key factors for those considering a small-school design. (Contains 12 references.) (RJM) I.