m i c h i g a n s t a t e u n i v e r s i t y | c o l l e g e o f e d u c a t i o n | 2 0 0 8
>> Dr. Sharif Shakrani,
Co-director, Education
Policy Center
Growing concern about
the quality of public educa-
tion in the United States
has driven numerous
educational reform efforts
across the last three decades. These
reforms include increased account-
ability as exemplified by various
requirements of the federal No Child
Left Behind Act, the introduction of
new curriculum and instructional
methods in response to the standards
movement and, in recent years, the
redesign of public high schools—in-
cluding an increased focus on creat-
ing small schools and small learning
communities.
In her 2008 State of the State
address, Michigan Gov. Jennifer M.
Granholm proposed the establishment
of a “21st Century Schools Fund.” The
$300 million investment would help
Michigan school districts replace large,
impersonal high schools that have low
academic achievement and high drop-
out rates with smaller high schools
that use strong personal relationships,
consistent discipline and real-world
relevance to help at-risk students
achieve high academic goals. These
environments, then, would better
prepare students for success in post-
secondary education or the workplace.
Granholm said the new small high
schools will be “free from red tape
and bureaucracy, (and) will deploy
the new three Rs—rigor, relevance,
and relationships—to keep students
in high school and then get them to
college or technical training.” The
governor’s proposal would allow high
schools with more than 800 students
that fail to meet the academic goals of
No Child Left Behind (nclb) for two
years or more to create smaller high
schools of about 400 students.
Are Small High Schools
the Answer?
Presently, the majority of U.S. high
school students attend schools of
more than 1,500 students; most of
these schools are located in large
urban or suburban areas. Urban high
schools often enroll up to 4,000 stu-
dents