For the first time, instead of asking the parents and teachers, the state of West Virginia asked the students what they wanted in schools, as well as their opinions of how well the schools were doing. 4,955 5th-12th grade students from across the state filled out the internet survey, and “improved technology” was the top response. In addition, advanced courses, smaller class sizes, and increased hands-on learning experiences were desired. To read the complete survey and analysis, click on the link above.
When a small school sets up quarters within a large high school, friction can develop, especially when the small school marches to a very different drummer. The students at Bronx Aerospace Academy, a small ROTC school located within Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, know this firsthand. Their military uniforms, marching, and different curriculum set them apart. They feel their Evander classmates single them out for harassment. Evander students, meanwhile, worry that they have become second-class citizens in their own school. Hoping to bridge these tensions, students from both sides decided to take a hard look at the misperceptions.
In 2002 Enumclaw High School, near Seattle, Washington, decided to break itself into seven small schools. More recently, a team of student videographers in one of Enumclaw’s small schools (the Adventure School, with 146 students) conducted and filmed interviews about the changeover with students, faculty, parents, and school leaders. They had one question in mind: "Can an already thriving comprehensive high school effectively convert to a more successful small school design?"
The four schools featured here are all flagships in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s campaign to create a critical mass of new, inventive small high schools. They include the Minnesota New Country School (Henderson, MN), the Met (Providence, RI), Urban Academy (New York City), and High Tech High (San Diego, CA). What Kids Can Do (WKCD) believes the quality and depth of the work students produce tell more about their learning than test scores do. And WKCD believes an effective way to convey high standards is to show publicly student work that reflects these standard. WKCD looked for a range of student work and by no means just stand outs.
A transcript of a video produced through a youth internship program at TALC New Vision. This video demonstrates the impact of small high schools in Milwaukee through the perspective of students and teachers.
Students reflect on the following questions in this report from What Kids Can Do: What’s so different about a small high school, compared to a large one? When school leaders decide to create more small schools in their district, how do students themselves experience the change in their everyday routines, as well as in their sense of power and possibility?