Effects of Larger School Size 4/10/05

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Nor can I have this conversation with every parent of an infant that will be in elementary school over the next 10 years.  As the new schools get built, redistricting will move students from one school to another to make maximum utilization of the new buildings.  Any parent in St. Mary<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >=</FONT>s County with an elementary age child could find her child in one of these 645 student buildings.  </div> <div> Here are some of the findings of educational studies with regard to school size:    </div> <bR> <div>     1. Adults and students in the smaller school know and care about one another to a greater degree than is possible in larger schools.</div> <bR> <div>     2. Smaller schools have a higher rate of parent involvement.  Even now we have the State telling us that <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >A</FONT>Parents must support their child<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >=</FONT>s learning at home and in school and must serve as their child<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >=</FONT>s advocate.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >@</FONT>  What will they say as parent involvement slips away?.</div> <bR> <div>     3. Students and staff generally have a stronger sense of personal efficacy in smaller schools.</div> <bR> <div>     4. Students in smaller schools take more of the responsibility for their own learning; their learning activities are more often individualized, experiential, and relevant to the world outside of school; classes are generally smaller; and scheduling is much more flexible.</div> <bR> <div>      5.. <U>Grouping and instructional strategies associated with higher student performance</U> are more often implemented in small schools<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >C</FONT>team teaching, integrated curriculum, multiage grouping (especially for elementary children), cooperative learning, and performance assessments.</div> <bR> <div> These are the things that educational researchers know we will give up as our schools increase in size.</div> <div> According to an acquaintance who attended some of the school system<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >=</FONT>s staff discussions this summer, none of these benefits of smaller schools was even mentioned as school system staff discussed possible school size.  We all know where large schools go.  Bill Gates has given millions of dollars to schools to try to mitigate the loss of these qualities in large schools.  Our kindergartners could soon be required to go through metal detectors just like the ones in Washington, D. C. and New York City.  </div> <div> Why don<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="WP TypographicSymbols" >=</FONT>t we just avoid the problems and stay with a more reasonable size?    </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>