Small Learning Communities Chart

REVIEW OF SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES - SPECIFIC MODELS

ARTICLE SOURCE DATE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT INFO/ TYPE OF SCHOOL SCHOOL SLC STRUCTURE / FUNDING NOTES / Use for PD? POSSIBLE CONTACT POPULATION SPECIFIC FEATURES SOURCES / OUTSIDE PARTNERS Small HS The Octobe Seattle, Eric Benson, Hale HS, Proposed SLC 300-400 To be located in a District Budget problems - do not Proposed to Seattle r 21, WA Seattle WA Leadership High neighborhood of low Seattle Education want to fund if hurts existing Beat the Times 2002 School achieving, crowded Association schools Achievement schools not presently (Booster?) Resegregation Gap served by magnets that Cross City Does the neighborhood want are mostly located in Campaign it? higher SES areas of the (nonprofit gp NO city advocating small, autonomous schools) Santa Santa Santa Redesign of Comphrehensive 3600 Purpose of the SLC Barriers to implementation: Monica High Monica Monica administrative structure High School students design: Lack of adequate team School High required: Mixed Foster relationships planning Model population Opportunities for teacher Lack of time for adequate Each school led by White: 50% collaboration planning and implementation One administrator Hispanic: Direct impact on Lack of professional Two advisers 31% achievement development time for staff. One teacher leader Af-Amer.: Guiding Principles: 11% Personalization Teachers divided up Intellectual Mission between the schools. Community Partnership Professional Learning Departments broken up. Community Six Characteristics the Each school self smaller communities sufficient to provide a have in common. complete high school 1. Structure curriculum to the 2. Instructional students. Program(UC/CS U) 3. Elective Program 1 4. Collaborative Time 5. Extra Curricular/Co curricular activities 6. Academic Support LAUSD Fact LAUSD Los LAUSD district all Proposed benefits of the Marked by return to 180 day Sheet Angeles redesign: calendar for all schools Eliminate impersonal feelings and Dividing up a large school disengagement into houses which exist Allow familiarity and under a central services personalization structure defeats the purpose Forge real connections and removes the between teachers and personalization. students Support High Expectations Seven Characteristics: Personalization Vision and leadership Use of space Identity Accountability Quality teaching Equity and access

2 High Schools SACBEE Sacramento Sacramento City Unified High School (Gr. 1800 Program known as e21. Carnegie 4 other high schools may Think News CA School District – Starting 9 – 12) Program being phased in Corporation, have SLC of up to 250 Smaller at Sacramento High for ninth graders as SLC planning grant of students School and being for groups of no more $250,000. School partially implemented at than competing for the district’s other four larger amount of schools. 100 students. Teachers, implementation students stay together as dollars. Contact: Richard Owen, a 2 year core for Associate Superintendent English, Math, Science. for High School Teachers share a Improvement preparation period. When pilot ninth graders reach grades 11-12, they will participate in a themed SLC of students’choice, which could be health care, math science or high- tech. Small School http://www. 11- Berkeley, BHS website = Not identified in Grades 9-12 Students self-select $ - Center for Learning: ecoliteracy. 27- California www.bhs.berkeley.k12.ca.us/ article, but Total school Class size = 30 (same as Ecoliteracy, U.S. Dept Berkeley High org/pages/ 02 commonground.html according to pop = 3200 BHS) of Educ School’s newsletter1 description in SWAS student Student has 3 Common _common. article, this school pop = 400 classes/semester Ground html would be classified Current SWAS 60% curriculum = core for as SWAS 9th grade pop = grad Called “Small 120 40% curriculum = electives Schools” locally SWAS teacher specific to pop = 14 ecology/ecoliteracy Curriculum includes “outdoor classroom” experiences and overseas trips Smaller, Center for New York El Puente Academy Shared Facility Low income Human service programs Human service Student & family access to Safer, Saner, School City on site program health care, counseling & Successful Change literacy training Schools

3 3 Schools-1 www.csmonitor 10/21/02 Denver Principal: Nancy HS Afr-Amer 1. Science/Match Gates Found. Grant 1st year, communication Building Sutton & Hisp 2. Businnes/Govt $500K-5 years issues 1050 3. Lang & Arts 25 new Teachers

Break Up www.edweek.org 11/27/02 Suburb of West Clermon Local HS - 2 Ethnic-? 7 SLC’s-450 per comty. Gates-800k Teachers visited SLC, not Suburbs Cincinnati SD 2300 stdts. Defines “small” as 400- Corning-800k Central Ofc 900 (matching) Board members meet w/ KnowledgeWorks- Teachers weekly 125k References Dallas HS Very good article Revolution East Bay October Oakland Oakland Calif. Freestanding Life  Advisory Period Bill and Melinda -Challenge in developing at Oakland Express 23, 2002 Life Academy— School Academy: (9:1 student/ Gates Foundation, curriculum with focus on Unified Principal: Laura 250 teacher ratio three Bay Area Coalition critical thinking as well as Flaxman students, times per week); for Equitable state and district mandates School of Social School of  Targeting former Schools, Justice—Principal: Social dropouts and Oakland Community -Oakland’s goal is to have Wilson Riles, Jr. Justice: 400 students at risk for Organizations, 20% of all students Superintendent: students dropping out to Coalition of attending small schools by Dennis Chaconas attend (School of Essential Schools, end of 2005 (supported these SJ); Oakland CA schools)  Demographics of -Unclear as to how students school population are recruited for Life mirrors Academy—it seems to be demographic of voluntary, but there is no local large school information on how (Life Acad); students recruit  Goals are for all students to -Article mentions sizable graduate, for the start-up costs, says those majority of costs were covered by Gates graduates to go on Foundation to 4-year colleges;  Long class periods (2 ½ hours);  Students explore their own

4 interests; juniors and seniors have long-term projects to be evaluated by a graduation committee;