Welcome
to the Research for Action (RFA) Small Schools Web Center.
The web center is intended to be a resource for STUDENTS,
PARENTS,
and RESEARCHERS.
RFA research suggests that Philadelphia’s small
schools plan shows promise provided that the District maintains
its commitment to small high schools and provides adequate
supports. View our latest research briefs
– Teacher Perceptions of Small High Schools
– Informing
High School Choices: The Progress & Challenges of Small
High Schools in Philadelphia
What is small?
The School District of Philadelphia defines schools with
fewer than 700 students as "small." However,
national advocates usually define small schools as those
with fewer than 500 students. Assuming the District definition,
approximately 32 out of 62 of the District's high schools
plus 20 of 21 charter high schools are small.
Why small?
Research suggests that small high
schools may meet the needs of a wider range of students.
Small
schools have the potential to improve school climate
and better engage their students - resulting in higher
attendance
and a lower dropout rate. Some educators, however, point
to advantages that larger schools can offer, including
a wider variety of classes and more extra-curricular
activities.
What is RFA studying about Philadelphia’s
small high schools?
Thanks to a two year lead grant from Carnegie Corporation
of New York for “Going Small – Public Private
Collaboration in Restructuring High School Education in
Philadelphia," RFA is examining Philadelphia’s
approach to creating and supporting small high schools,
how the district works with partners in this effort, the
perspectives of teachers, parents, and students on small
high schools, and small schools’ impact on student
enrollment and performance
CHECK
OUT OUR MAP 
Our
Small Schools Map provides information about Philadelphia
small schools, including:
•
Location
•
School Contact Information
•
School Focus/Mission
•
Partner Organizations
•
Enrollment
•
PSSA Scores
•
School Demographics
MORE
INFORMATION
School District Websites [LINKS]
Information
About Individual District
High Schools
High
School Guide
Philadelphia Charter Schools
Advocates,
School Districts, and Foundations [LINKS]
School Redesign Network at Stanford University
Coalition of Essential Schools CES Small Schools Project
New
Visions for Public Schools in New York City
Oakland (CA) Small Schools Foundation
Chicago
Public Schools: Small Schools Get Results
Schools for a New Society (Initiative of the Carnegie
Corporation)
Small Schools Workshop (College of Education, University
of South Florida)
Articles and Research [LINKS]
"Smaller Schools Make Grade"" by Sue Snyder Philadelphia
Inquirer, April 22, 2007
"Small
High Schools Show Encouraging Signs of Change" by Dale Mezzacappa the
Philadelphia Public School Notebook Spring 2007 Edition
Focus
on High Schools. Philadelphia Public School
Notebook,
Spring 2005.
Focus on Small Schools. Philadelphia Public School
Notebook,
Spring 2004.
Current
Literature on Small Schools. ERIC
Digest. By Mary
Anne Raywid, 1999.
The
Schooling Practices that Matter Most: School Size, School
Climate, and Student Performance by
Kathleen Cotton, May 2006, posted on website of the Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory.
Summer
2005 special issue of Rethinking Schools, “Small
Schools, Big Issues” Volume 19, No. 4.
Small
Schools on a Larger Scale: The First Three Years of the
Chicago High School Redesign Initiative. Article
for download (or order print copy) 7/2006. Joseph E.
Kahne, Sue Sporte, and Marisa de la Torre; with John
Q. Easton.
Reframing Education: The Partnership Strategy and Public
Schools (A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New
York) by Janice M. Hirota, Ph.D. published Sept 2005 by
Youth
Development Institute & Fund for the City of New York,
with the assistance of New Visions for Public Schools (& funded
by Carnegie).
Summary
of small schools research focusing on measures of small
school success on the Chicago Public Schools Website.
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