Home About Us Media Kit Subscriptions Links Forum
APPEARED IN


View All Articles

Download PDF

DIRECTORIES:

Job Opportunities

Tutors

Workshops

Events

Sections:

Books

Camps & Sports

Careers

Children’s Corner

Collected Features

Colleges

Cover Stories

Distance Learning

Editorials

Medical Update

Metro Beat

Movies & Theater

Museums

Music, Art & Dance

Special Education

Spotlight On Schools

Teachers of the Month

Technology

Archives:

1995-2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

JULY 2004

National Middle-Grades Forum Calls for Creation of Small Learning Communities
by Alison Cohen

Federal, state, and local policymakers need to provide resources and support to create small schools at the middle-grades level, according to a policy statement issued by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades

Reform, an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and officers of professional organizations and foundations are dedicated to improving education in the middle grades.

The policy statement says that in those cases where small schools are not feasible, district and school leaders should break down large middle-grades schools into smaller schools or small learning communities where teams of teachers share small groups of students (sometimes called “clusters” or “houses”). Though not sufficient in itself, “smallness” creates a personalized learning environment that enhances teaching and learning at the middle level.

“Too many young adolescents attend large, impersonal schools where a substantial number of students are not engaged in learning, lack meaningful relationships with adults, and are increasingly alienated from school,” said Deborah Kasak, National Forum executive director. “We know that smaller learning communities have higher student achievement and lower dropout rates. As more and more school leaders are faced with declining revenues and tough choices, we are asking for more, not less, support and resources to establish and implement small learning communities at the middle level,” Kasak said.

“As students move through the middle grades, they do better in a more personalized learning environment where their teachers know them well,” said Nancy Ames, vice president of Education Development Center, and a member of the National Forum’s policy committee which helped draft the statement. “It’s a concept that makes common sense. If all of your teachers know your full name and something about you, chances are you won’t slip through the cracks. In fact, small schools foster more active learning among students and teachers alike,” Ames said.

The policy statement on small schools and small learning communities is an integral piece of the National Forum’s comprehensive policy agenda for middle-grades improvement. The Forum has outlined its priorities for lasting positive change for young adolescents: a separate designation for middle-grades schooling as a distinct phase of education; a focus on adolescent literacy with support for advancing reading, writing, and thinking in all the content areas; qualified teachers in every middle-grades classroom who not only know their subjects but also how to teach those subjects to young adolescents; smaller learning communities that help personalize instruction so students have the support they need; additional resources for middle-grades schools and students, including more targeted research and dissemination of successful practices.

The policy on small schools and small learning communities is the fourth in a series of statements published by the Forum. For the full text of
the Forum policy statement, visit http://www.mgforum.org/Policy/policy.asp. To learn more about the National Forum and its mission to improve middle-grades education, visit www.mgforum.org.#

Alison Cohen is Media Relations Manager for Education Development Center, an international nonprofit organization that conducts research and creates materials to advance learning in the U.S. and more than 50 countries. Visit www.edc.org.

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

Name:

Email:
Show email
City:
State:

 


 

 

 

Education Update, Inc.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2005.