Smaller learning communities are focused learning environments within a larger school setting in which a group of teachers and other adults works closely with a particular group of students to meet their needs, monitor their progress, and provide academic support.  Smaller learning communities are seen nationwide as one of the “best practices” in recent years.   Small learning communities change the way students and teachers are grouped.  They can include academies, schools-within-a-school, or career pathways.

            An ever-increasing number of studies provide a strong research base for smaller learning communities. The research demonstrates positive impacts on all students in terms of increasing student participation and engagement, reducing dropout rates, increasing graduation rates and attendance, enhancing academic achievement, and increasing extracurricular participation.  According to Breaking Ranks II, a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals and The Education Alliance, one of the seven key strategies to improving student performance is to “increase the quantity and improve the quality of interactions between students, teachers and other school personnel by reducing the number of students for which any adult or group of adults is responsible.”  In order to accomplish this goal, the following are recommended:  reducing the large school into smaller units; reducing the number of students for which an individual teacher is responsible; creating interdisciplinary teams of teachers; and “looping” teachers with students so that a group of teachers and students are teamed together for more than one year. 

Research by Cotton (2004) indicates the following benefits of Smaller Learning Communities:  improved achievement, greater equity, greater sense of affiliation and belonging, a larger degree of safety and order, improved attendance, better preparation for higher education, more highly satisfied teachers, and more diverse curriculum.  Research by  Cotton (1996), Raywid and Oshiyama (2000), Cushman (1997), Klonsky (1998) and Funk and Bailey (1999) indicate that when the size of the learning environment is reduced, students experience a greater sense of belonging, fewer discipline problems occur, crime and violence decrease, alcohol and tobacco use decrease, dropout rates decrease, graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment increase, and student attendance increases.  Research in Chicago schools found that students in smaller schools come to class more often, drop out less frequently, encounter less violence in school, and get better grades than those in large schools (Viadero, 2000).  Other studies also indicate that smaller schools improve school climate, elevate teacher satisfaction, increase parent and community involvement, and operate more economically (Bracey, 2001).  Small schools consistently reported high levels of social support and caring, because of the more attentive environment possible in smaller settings, which makes it harder for any student to fall between the cracks. 

            Smaller learning communities at South High will focus on the three essential R’s:  Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. While there are numerous types of small learning communities that can be developed in large schools, our high school is currently involved in implementing a ninth grade transitions academy which will group teachers in several core curricular areas together in order to plan, team teach, and design units of study to support each content area. Freshman students often have trouble adjusting to the environment and academic and social demands of a large high school, and also have higher rates of failure. Freshman Transition programs such as this help ease the difficulties students often encounter as they move from middle to high school.  Some schools place freshman students in a separate wing or building, with extra support from adults.  In other cases, freshman transition programs include mentoring from older students, and activities that help students view high school as a pathway to college and careers.  There will be several different freshman “houses” within this Academy Program at South High.

            Another common type of smaller learning communities which South High will be implementing is advisories.  Advisory groups allow one teacher or staff member to work with and get to know a group of students.  Advisories have existed in various forms in schools for decades.  Assigning an adult advisor to each student is seen as a key strategy for achieving smaller communities within large schools.  Positive personal relationships with teachers and bonding with peers are keys to student success.  Advisory programs promote healthy student development and academic success.  They assure that each student has one adult who knows him or her well, and they also help create stronger bonds among young people. Overall, published research on advisories indicates that they lead to positive outcomes in school climate and student well-being and also correlate with improved academic performance (Makkonen, 2004).    Advisory groups at South High will be grade level specific and will allow for preparation of students’ Personal Education Plans, four-year planning, collection of survey data, college and career preparation activities, and support for academic success.

            For more information on smaller learning communities, refer to the following web sites:  Employers for Education Excellence (http://e3smallschools.org); U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov/programs/slcp/index.html); Small Schools Project (www.smallschoolsproject.org).

 References

Bracey, G. W. (2001).  Small schools, great strides.  Phi Delta Kappan, Jan. 2001:  413-414.

 Cotton, K. (1996)  Affective and social benefits of small-scale schooling.  ERIC Digest.  Charleston, WV:  Eric Clearinghouse of Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 401 088)

 Cotton, K.  (2004).  New small learning communities:  Findings from recent literature.  Reston, VA:  National Association of Secondary School Principals.

 Cushman, K. (2000).  Shrink big schools for better learning.  Education Digest, 65 (6), 36-40.

 Funk, P., & Bailey, J. (1999).  Small schools, big results:  Nebraska high school completion and postsecondary enrollment rates by size of school district.  Nebraska Alliance for Rural Education.

Klonsky, M. (1995).  Small schools:  The numbers tell a story:  A review of the research and current experiences.  Chicago:  Illinois University.

Makkonen, R. (2004).  Advisory program research and evaluation.  Horace, 20 (4), n. p.

 National Association of Secondary School Principals (2004).  Breaking ranks II:  Strategies for leading high school reform.  Reston, VA:  NASSP.

 Raywid, M., & Oshiyama, L. (2000).  Musings in the wake of Columbine:  What can schools do?  Phi Delta Kappan, 81 (6), 444-449.

 Viadero, D. (2000).  Research on Chicago high schools finds benefits in smaller size.  Education Week, 19 (42), 12-13.