Thursday, August 9, 2007

Are Smaller Schools Better?

As a student who attends a small high school, I have seen first hand the increase in education quality. Compared to bigger high schools, smaller high schools tend to do better; because of the individualized attention each student receives. It was announced that the June graduation rate for new small schools exceeded 70 percent for the second consecutive year. One of the department of Educations School reforms has been to break down larger schools that have done poorly into smaller schools, and this has been proven to be very efficient. More than two-thirds of students in this year’s graduating class entered these new schools performing below grade-level and now have graduated receiving a high level of achievement.

These small classroom environment helps students feel as if they are important, and help them feel more at home. Small schools also make it easier for the teachers to get to know the students better, and identify their strengths or weaknesses. Being in a small school I feel as if I can communicate better with my peers, and there is less violence and also because it is such a small school violent breakouts are less common since there is usually always an adult around. This safe environment promotes learning. In my school every teacher offers after school tutoring, and this is very helpful, because these tutoring sessions have an even smaller amount of kids, so each individual receives the attention they deserve. It’s also a more comfortable environment, because there is less people, you feel like they are family, and most students are not afraid to ask questions in front of family. Although many other problems arise with the creation of small schools, such as the lack of supplies, and enough equipment, it has had a positive overall affect.

1 comment:

Seth Pearce said...

Great post. Really insightful.