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CCE Small Schools Network:
Design Summary

Four CCESSN Conditions for Successful Public Schools

• Smallness - Schools are small and personalized, with a dedicated faculty, student body, and space, so that students and teachers know each other well.
• Unifying Vision - Schools have a unifying vision, framed around principles of effective teaching and learning, that binds the school community and drives teaching, learning, and assessment, with the goal of creating powerful learning experiences by and for every student.
• Autonomy - Schools should have the autonomy necessary to use their resources to best meet students’ needs (see Autonomies below), while also benefiting from the economies of scale from being a member of a large district (e.g., transportation, facilities, payroll, legal services).
• Accountability - In addition to student accountability on state and district tests, schools are held accountable for the quality of the education they provide to students, and the outcomes of students, through school quality reviews and other assessment measures.

Five CCESSN Autonomies (descriptions)

• Staffing
• Budget
• Curriculum and Assessment
• Governance and Policies
• School Calendar

Ten CCESSN Principles

The Network endorses the following principles, and asks that all schools joining the Network do so as well. These principles are built upon, in large part, the Coalition of Essential Schools’ Ten Common Principles. The principles provide a vision of effective schools, and guide the reform work of CCESSN member schools:

1. Habits of Mind - The school’s central goal is to teach children to use their minds well in every area of work they undertake, to the end of becoming responsible members of a democratic community.
2. Personalization - The school is small and personalized, so that teachers and students know each other well.
3. Less is More - The school’s curriculum is driven by the concept of “less is more.” Each student should master a limited number of essential skills and areas of knowledge.
4. Equity and Access - The school’s goals should apply to all students, while the means to those goals will vary as students themselves vary. In particular, there should be an explicit goal of raising learning and achievement of low-income students and students of color.
5. Lower Student-Teacher Ratios - Student-teacher ratios are greatly reduced so that all faculty know their students well, with secondary ratios at no more than 80:1 and elementary ratios at no more than 20:1.
6. Student-as-Worker; Teacher-as-Coach - The governing metaphor of the school should be student-as-worker and teacher-as-coach, thereby helping students to take responsibility for their own learning. Learning should be purposeful, rigorous, and related to helping students become powerful in the real world.
7. Assessment by Exhibition - Assessment should demonstrate what important things students know and can do, as well as where they are in need of more help. Students should demonstrate their mastery of competencies in various ways, including exhibitions and portfolios.
8. High Expectations, Trust, Respect, and Decency for All - The tone of the school stresses values of high expectations, trust, respect, and decency on the part of all members of the community.
9. Professional Collaborative Communities - The principal and teachers serve multiple obligations and demonstrate a sense of commitment to the achievement of all members of the school community. Teachers work together to create a professional collaborative learning community.
10. Flexibility, Autonomy, and Shared Governance - The people closest to students, including teachers, administrators, parents, and the students themselves, are the policy makers and decision makers. This calls for democratic forms of school governance and facilitative leadership. The school has maximum flexibility and autonomy, enabling decisions to be made as close to the learner as possible.