We’ve added an additional resource to the School Size page – The Hobbit Effect: Why Small Works in Public Schools. The author starts the report this way:
There is a battle going on out there, and it’s not pretty and certainly not rational.
That’s the position taken against efforts to close small schools in the hope of saving money. The amount of effort put into closing small schools is labeled irrational because it goes against the “overwhelming evidence that smaller schools are beneficial to kids.”
Further, the struggle to close effective small schools is seen as illogical in face of the “opposing trend in urban areas” where a “smaller is better” model is being actively implemented. Federal, state and privately financial resource are being pumped into these initiatives because they work.
Among the ten research-based reasons why small works were:
- greater extra-curricular activity,
- small schools are safer,
- kids feel they belong,
- small class size allows for individualization,
- ease of implementing good teaching methods,
- teachers feel better about their work, and
- fewer transitions.
Any of those sound familiar?
Given recent efforts, the author’s note on Hobbits seemed appropriate on several levels:
Hobbits are small in size, but huge in courage and unrelenting in their focus on attaining their goals.
Enjoy!
Dr. P
