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CCE
Small Schools Network:
Supporting Data
A Brief Look at Evidence Supporting Small
Schools
The CCE Small Schools
Network is founded upon overwhelming, compelling evidence that small,
autonomous schools are more successful, in virtually every single outcome
indicator, in educating students, particularly low-income students and
students of color, than are larger, more impersonal schools. A considerable
body of research has been amassed over the past 20 years on the effectiveness
of small schools. In particular, two comprehensive reviews of the research
on small schools (Cotton, pp. 9-10, 1997 and Gladden, 1998), and a study
on the impact of small schools on the education of low income students
(Bickel et al, 2001), reached the following conclusions:
- “As school
size increases, school performance decreases for economically disadvantaged
students.” Small schools have been found to cut the negative impact
of low socioeconomic status on academic performance by up to 70%. (Bickel
et al, 2001)
- “The average
achievement of students as measured by standardized tests tends to be
higher in small schools than in large schools….[In particular],
minority students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform
significantly better in small schools than in large schools.” (Gladden)
- “Students
attending small schools are more likely to pass their courses, accumulate
credits, and attain a higher level of education than students who attend
large schools.” (Gladden)
- “Grouping
and instructional strategies associated with higher student performance
are more often implemented in small schools - team teaching, integrated
curriculum, multiage grouping, cooperative learning, and performance
assessments.” (Cotton)
- Student attitudes
toward school are more positive in small schools, while small schools
experience significantly less discipline problems, truancy, violence,
substance abuse, and gang participation. (Cotton)
Student attendance is higher in small schools, while the dropout rate
is lower. (Cotton)
- “Students’
academic…self-concepts are higher in small schools….”
(Cotton)
Small schools have a higher rate of parental involvement. (Cotton)
More recently and
locally, the Center for Collaborative Education released two first-time
reports on the Boston Pilot Schools, a group of eleven public schools
that have charter-like autonomy to be more innovative. The first report,
“How
Are Boston Pilot Schools Faring? An Analysis of Student Demographics,
Engagement, and Performance,” reveals that, while
serving roughly the same student demographics as regular Boston public
schools, Pilot Schools are outperforming the district average on all student
engagement indicators, while performing comparably or better on student
achievement tests:
- Pilot Schools
graduate an average of 91% of seniors, higher than the district average
- 74% of Pilot graduates
indicate that they plan to attend college, as opposed to 55% district-wide
planning to attend college
- Every Pilot School
performed comparably to, or better than, the district average on the
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and the SAT-9,
with most schools scoring better, directly below the district’s
examination high schools
- Almost every Pilot
middle and high school was at the top of the district in student attendance,
while having the lowest transfers out of school, indicating each school’s
holding power on students
- All Pilot Schools
had among the lowest suspensions of any district schools, indicating
that they are safe havens for students
- Pilot elementary
and middle schools (there was no comparable data at the high school
level) had among the highest wait lists for enrollment in the district,
indicating the desire for families to have their children attend small,
personalized schools
The second report,
“How
Boston Pilot Schools Use Freedom Over Budget, Staffing, and Scheduling
To Meet Student Needs,” reveals some reasons why these schools
are more successful than their counterpart BPS schools:
- With the same
amount of per pupil funds, Pilot Schools have lower average class sizes,
significantly lower student:teacher loads, longer instructional periods,
and greater amounts of collaborative planning time for faculty
- Every Pilot school
is small and personalized, where teachers know students well, and most
create even smaller learning communities through clustering
- The schools emphasize
multi-year teacher-student relationships through advisories, looping,
and multiage grading
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