69传媒

School & District Management

Small Schols Are Visited in New Study

September 07, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Barbara Kent Lawrence argues that any school district in the nation can do what a charter school in Boston, a K-8 school outside Flagstaff, Ariz., and an island campus in South Carolina all have done: establish good, affordable small schools that help more students succeed.

A report by Ms. Lawrence, with help from several other small-schools researchers, outlines how just about any community can provide efficient and academically successful small schools.

鈥淒ollars and Sense II: Lessons From Good, Cost-Effective Small 69传媒鈥 was released Aug. 31 by its sponsors, including the Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports the development of small schools.

Read an of 鈥淒ollars and Sense II: Lessons From Good, Cost-Effective 69传媒鈥 from the .

鈥淚 think small schools can work anywhere,鈥 said Ms. Lawrence, who wrote a preceding report, 鈥淒ollars and Sense,鈥 in 2002. She teaches research courses as an adjunct professor at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.

Her report suggests that good small schools often have autonomy, strong leadership, and intensive community partners that support a well-defined mission. 鈥淵ou can have bad small schools, and if we aren鈥檛 careful, that鈥檚 what we may create, because people tend in this field to look to a panacea,鈥 she said.

The 25 small schools profiled in the report cost an average of $1,677 less per student to run annually, compared with regular-sized campuses in the same districts.

Collaborative Effort

鈥淒ollars and Sense II鈥 includes profiles of a family-like K-8 school near Lincoln, Neb.; an urban high school for the arts housed in nine separate buildings in Tacoma, Wash.; and an alternative school in Birmingham, Ala., that stresses job training for students who have left traditional public schools.

It also cites the Interdistrict Downtown School in Minneapolis as a small campus that serves students well, in a new building that was surprisingly affordable. The school enrolls about 500 students in grades K-12, and its site and construction cost about $14.2 million in 1999.

The four-story campus feeds off a network of local partnerships. 鈥淲e have literally hundreds of volunteers coming in from downtown businesses or organizations who work with our students,鈥 said Assistant Principal Maggie Berry.

Related Tags:

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management 69传媒 Want Results When They Spend Big Money. Here's How They're Getting Them
Tying spending to outcomes is a goal many district leaders have. A new model for purchase contracts could make it easier.
7 min read
Illustration of scales balancing books on one end and coins on another.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69传媒
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump鈥檚 pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images