Conference Paper
John Olson
December 6, 2006
Secondary Education 625
Theory and Research in Teaching
Secondary School Science
CLMS/CLHS/NHSA and CUE
Technology Conference
October 16-19
Monterey California
It’s More than a Matter of Size
Features of Good Small Learning Communities
Presented by Arlene LaPlante and Greg Williams
J. Olson
-1-
With the emphasis on community building that we have discussed in class over the last few
months, I found this presentation on small learning communities to be of high interest, and the
message of great importance. Arlene LaPlante and Greg Williams are two members of the Small
Learning Communities Support Team from the San Diego Unified School District. They were
involved in the process of turning around three large San Diego High Schools that were very low
performance schools facing state intervention (LaPlante & Williams, 2006). There presentation
focused on the complete redesign of these three high schools. The model that the Small
Learning Communities Support Team used for the redesign of these schools came from
Redesigning Schools, a research project from Stanford University (Hammond-Darling, 20022006). During the presentation, LaPlante and Williams discussed the planning, implementation,
pitfalls, and preliminary results of the redesign. The evidence collected from the district’s first
year, as well as the evidence presented in the research they followed, demonstrated that the small
school design works.
LaPlante and Williams began their presentation with some rather alarming statistics. “Only 67%
of 9th graders who enter California high schools receive a standard high school diploma four
years later” (LaPlante & Williams, 2006). Looking at the drop out rate, she then pointed out that
nationwide, “66% of high school dropouts or potential dropouts say they would likely have
stayed in school if they had more personal attention, (2006). The source of this comment was a
research survey commissioned by the National Board of Governor’s. The exact phrase, “66%
say they would be more likely to stay in school if they received personal attention to help them
with their studies,” (National Governor’s Association. 2005), is just as compelling.
J. Olson
-2-
Of teens who were considering dropping out, “Over half say they want to eventually finish high
school” (National Governor’s Association. 2005). The survey found that “One-third of them
want to go to a community college” and “32% strongly agree they would work harder if high
school offered more demanding and interesting courses” (2005). “71% think taking courses
related to the kinds of jobs they want is the best way to make their senior year more meaningful”
(2005).
This studies’ strength is in the number of surveys that were included in the sampling. The survey
was compiled from “an online study conducted among 10,387 teenagers ages 16-18” (National
Governor’s Association. 2005). Although the results seem plausible, one must also consider the
fact that the sampling was collected by using an online survey, which could have limited the
participants to students with access to the internet, skewing the survey to perhaps more affluent
districts and schools.
Another source referenced in the presentation was an article by Mary Ann Raywid. Raywid had
looked at a large amount of research collected on the benefits of small schools and argued that
there was enough research, based on studies looking at thousands of students in over 800 high
schools nationwide, to demonstrate that the evidence of the successes of smaller schools was
reliable (Raywid, 1998, p. 35).
The presenters shared that research based benefits of SLCs (small learning communities):
improved student outcomes, improved teacher-student relationships, increased school safety, and
increased parent involvement and parent teacher communication (LaPlante & Williams, 2006).
J. Olson
-3-
In Raywid’s article, she stated that “There is enough evidence now of such positive effects – and
of the devastating effects of large size on substantial numbers of youngsters – that is seems
morally questionable not to act on it” (Raywid, 1998, p. 35).
LaPlante and Williams emphasized that “size is the enabler, not the cure” (LaPlante & Williams,
2006). The redesign of the schools in San Diego was therefore based on “Ten Features of
Effective Design” (Hammond-Darling, 2002-2006). From her research, Hammond-Darling
outlined ten steps that must be included for a small school to be successful. These steps include:
Personalization, Continuous Relationships, Standards and Performance Assessment
Authentic Curriculum, Adaptive Pedagogy, Anti-Racist Teaching
Qualified Teachers, Collaboration and Development
Family / Community Connections, and Democratic Decision-making
(Hammond-Darling, 2002-2006).
This model is based on research and studies that have focused on what makes a successful SLC.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of the strength of this research is reflected in the results
the San Diego School District observed after the first year. The presenters underscored the
importance of “not ignoring the research” (LaPlante & Williams, 2006) when implementing the
plan. The San Diego redesign followed all of the recommendations from Hammond-Darlings
study. The Small Learning Communities Support Team took a close look at the data available
after the first year. From the data collected from test scores and surveys, they could report the
following results:
J. Olson

-4-
Twelve of 14 small schools improved their API scores an average of more that 20
points compared to 2004-2005.

More than half of the small schools met the AYP criteria on all counts.

In Construction Tech Academy 84% of the first time CAHSEE test takers (10th grade
students) passed the math portion and 89% passed the ELA section in 2005-2006,

In May, 2006, the School of International Studies was named #22 in Newsweek’s 100
Best American High Schools.

85% of the teachers reported that they are happy at their small school; 82% reported
that they have a voice in the decisions made.
(LaPlante & Williams, 2006).
This presentation was meaningful for me personally, as I work at a middle school that is
designed around teams. What I realized from the presentation on small learning communities
was that our school has not put into place all of the recommendations of the research on SLCs.
Although we have the most of the recommended components from Caught in the Middle, we are
lacking the advisory component. By leaving out this component, some students could possibly
attend our school for two years without any one single adult really getting to know them well. I
am aware that I cannot change the school’s plan, but within the team setting, there might be a
way to develop an advisory component.
The most encouraging information from this presentation is how students in high school desire
and thrive in community. The most disturbing information is how so many feel they attend
J. Olson
-5-
school without ever being well known by even one adult. This possibility is demonstrated in a
story that LaPlante and Williams shared in their presentation.
In the San Diego planning phase, one of the high school principals had posters placed all around
the room where the meeting was held. On the posters were the names of the several thousand
students who attended that school. Teachers were given dots to put beside the names of students
they felt they knew well, or fairly well. When they sat down and looked at the results, over half
of the names on the wall had no dots beside them (LaPlante & Williams, 2006). The principal
was able to use this demonstration as a springboard to lead his staff into conversation on the
necessity of school redesign.
J. Olson
-6-
References
Hammond-Darling, L. (2002-2006). Ten Features of Effective Design: School Redesign
Network at Stanford University, retrieved from
http://www.schoolredesign.com/srn/server.php?idx=226
LaPlante, A. & Williams, G. (2006, October). It’s More than a Matter of Size! Presented at
CLMS/CLHS/NHSA and CUE Technology Conference, Monterey, CA.
National Governor’s Association. (2005). National Online survey of teens by the National
Governor’s Association: retrieved from
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:0hCCSjInQm8J:www.nga.org/Files/ppt/RATEYOU
RFUTURESURVEY.PPT+national+governors+association+graduate+survey&hl=en&gl
=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
Raywid, M. A. (1998). Small schools: A reform that works. Educational Leadership, 55(4), 3439. Retrieved December 10, 2006, from ERIC database.