Most folks take note when Bill and Melinda Gates contribute to a cause. One of the movements that Bill and Melinda Gates are supporting is the establishment of “small schools” in America.
Parents in Dublin have commonly heard that students are better served by a high school of more than 2,000 students than by a smaller high school of 1,000-1,200 students. However, recent studies have shown that a host of benefits that can be enjoyed by schools comprised of smaller learning environments:
Not surprisingly, the average enrollment of the top 10 high schools in America is 681 students according to U.S. News & World Report. Small learning environments can be stand-alone schools, small schools sharing administrative resources, or large schools that have small learning environments. Many large schools are going through conversions to set up smaller learning environments. The target for small schools or large schools making the conversion is to have 250-300 students per grade level.
What Do Good Small Schools Have In Common?
Successful small schools share many of the same traits. For example, students are more visible to teachers in smaller learning environments. Additionally, teachers all know one another and tend to collaborate more frequently. Please click here to watch a video example of two math and science teachers collaborating to create a more integrated learning experience for their students while conducting experiments with homemade rockets.
Successful small schools also have non-exclusive admissions policies, involvement of families in the school community, and curriculum that’s integrated around a coherent focus (e.g., academic majors such as AP/Honors, Arts and Humanities, and Applied Technology).
Tassajara Prep, Dublin’s new public high school opening in 2012, will provide Dublin’s high school students with all of the advantages noted above through the creation of small learning environments that are focused on collaboration, integration of technology in the classroom, sterling academic performance, and extracurricular enrichment programs.