Hello drewdo-ga!
Thank you for an interesting question. Well, multiple questions
really. For sake of clarity and organization, I will answer your 3
questions individually with references for each. As someone who is
fascinated by different modes of learning, approaches to learning, and
settings for learning, I have found yours an interesting subject to
research!
To start out, here is some general information about small schools:
http://www.smallschools.com/info1.html
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1. Where can I get articles that include anecdotes about student
achievement in small schools or smaller learning communities?
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I found a variety of articles and you now have me hooked on this
subject! Here are some fascinating articles that include anecdotes
about student achievement in small schools:
This article features The Met School in Providence, RI and it sounds
impressive, to say the least.
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/valedictorians.html
This article features Best Practice High School in Chicago, IL.
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/BPHS.html
This article features more general information about small schools and
includes links to the above 2 articles as well as additional
resources.
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/smallintro.html
This is a link to a letter written by a student who attends a small
school in Los Altos, CA.
http://www.smallschools.com/letter.html
This link has some actual test results as well as success stories.
http://www.topschools.com/TestScores.htm
Another resource for you is this link to PACERS website. Here you will
find both resources and links to success stories.
http://www.pacers.org/resources.html
This article from CNN quotes a study that teenagers feel safer in
small schools because of greater ‘connectedness.’
http://www.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/04/11/school.climate.ap/
And this page contains over 30 links to additional newspaper articles
covering small school success stories and the like. Included are many
reputable and well-respected newspapers such as the New York Times and
the Washington Post.
http://www.smallschools.com/info4.html
Yet another resource for you—Success for Small Schools Sample Program
Clearinghouse
http://www.csba.org/ssd/samples/
And to present the flip side of this aspect of success, it seems that
small schools are struggling in some places overseas:
http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/05/22/92655.html
http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/know_sharing/grassroots_stories/sri_lanka.shtml
And a recent article in USA Today expresses that students in small
schools are more likely to be troubled:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-10-19-schools-usat_x.htm
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2. Where can I find an article that compares student achievement in
small schools versus large comprehensive big schools?
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The following link has the information you seek. It is a wonderful
compilation of studies and papers with respective links to the
well-respected ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)
website.
National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future
http://www.nctaf.org/smallschools/03-academic.html
This next site is a resource page and includes a list of arguments
that support small schools over large schools. The entire page has
resources and the link that I have listed for you specifically
addresses how “small schools can be as good or better than big
schools.” There are 9 additional links to articles under this
subheading at the time of composing this answer for you.
Small Schools Workshop
http://www.smallschools.com/info3.html#8
(I believe that the entire website www.smallschools.com is one that
you will find very informative.)
Another valuable resource you may want to consider is this group
dedicated to personalizing education through small schools.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallschools/
This link takes you to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Website.
They help fund small schools with particular attention to high school
that allow students to earn both a high school degree and an
associate’s degree, or 2 years of college credit.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Education/SmallHighSchools/default.htm
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3. Where can I find opinions of students concerning small schools and
smaller learning communities?
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The links in answer to question #1 address this topic as well. In
addition to many of the links with which I supplied you as an answer
to your first question, other resources exist that meet this need.
Specifically, I searched for online forums and discussion groups.
This link will take you to a discussion forum on the topic.
CPEC Discussion Forum—Are Smaller Class Sizes A Key to Educational
Success?
http://www.cpec.org/forum/forum.cfm?action=list
But for student opinions specifically, the best resources for you
include the information that you can find by following links in answer
to your first question, as many articles both quoted students and gave
links to additional student opinions and information.
Drewdo, thank you very much for your question. I’ve learned a great
deal about this topic and I am now intrigued by it. I greatly value
education and learning. There is a lot of information available on
small schools and most of it seems to be very positive. Should any of
the information be unclear, please let me know how I can clarify it
for you. Thank you again and best of luck to you in your endeavors!
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Google Search Terms:
small schools vs. large schools
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