Topics discussed include the five trends in K - 12 school design and their impacts on corporate facilities design,
including small learning communities (SLCs), flexible learning environments, and incorporation of technology.
Not exact matches
Teachers meet in
small - group professional -
learning communities to discuss issues that relate to student
learning,
including technology integration.
This publication also addresses the issues that should be addressed while planning and implementing
small learning communities,
including common mistakes and problems that may arise during the process.
Specific trends
include: personalized
learning; large - scale initiatives such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and 1:1, makerspaces; digital badging / microcredentials as a move toward competency based
learning; a redefinition of
learning spaces; and the integration of academies and
smaller learning communities (schools within a school) to provide more rigorous pathways that cater to the diverse interests of students.
In her District Administration article «Sustainable Professional Development,» Susan McLester
includes substantial information about the creation of
learning communities and on - demand coaches that are available commercially to meet the needs of a district, especially a
small one that may not have the level of expertise or the availability of personnel to provide the necessary coaching and support to help its teachers create and sustain the new skills, practices, programs and methodologies they want to implement.
Topics discussed
include petition filed by principals from high schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) on the district to apply for federal
small learning community (SLC) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, early college credit options through dual enrollment, dual credit offered by academies and views of student Mohamad Obaid on the same.
Reviewed strategies for enhancing students» high school and college outcomes
include: 1) participation in rigorous curriculum; 2)
small learning communities /
small schools of choice; 3) career academies; 4) dual enrollment; 5) early college high schools; and 6) college and career counseling.
This Turning Points guide addresses structural issues such as establishing
small learning communities, and
includes concrete examples of structures and processes explaining how these can be adapted to meet the needs of individual schools.
The trip enabled participants to see a range of secondary
learning options for students,
including a comprehensive high school with
small learning communities, a
small school within a larger educational complex, an alternative high school, and a public charter school.
Network Eight: Students in
Small and Rural School Districts, which provides that activities that may support
learning opportunities and improvements across the state may
include projects such as professional
community to mentor and support teachers and mitigate professional isolation
Some key elements that are found to be characteristic of successful
small schools
include equitability in academic achievement, school environment, school -
community communication and leadership; personalized
learning and environment; collective vision and mission; and multilateral collaboration and governance.
The GRADUATES Act reflects much of what ASCD has proposed,
including smaller, more personalized
learning communities; mentoring programs; flexible scheduling; and
learning opportunities outside the classroom.
Using this approach, BPS has created a network of
small high schools, which
includes 19 pilot schools (with plans to expand to 25 pilot schools by 2007); two Horace Mann charter schools; new, independent
small schools; and schools with
small learning communities.
Career Academies - Career Academies are
small, personalized
learning communities within a high school that prepare students for a career path based on their interests,
including education opportunities beyond high school.
Her more recent work
included supporting school conversations to create and develop
smaller learning communities and
small autonomous schools to better prepare young people for life after school.
A few examples of responsibilities
include middle and high school reform,
smaller learning communities, continuation high schools, court and
community schools, independent study, Partnership Academies, Regional Occupational Centers and Programs, gender equity compliance, business and industry partnerships, and oversight of state and federal programs totaling over $ 1 billion in annual revenues.
For these and other reasons, an extensive body of research suggests that
small schools and
small learning communities have the following significant advantages: • Increased student performance, along with a reduction in the achievement gap and dropout rate • A more positive school climate,
including safer schools, more active student engagement, fewer disciplinary infractions, and less truancy • A more personalized
learning environment in which students have the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with both adults and peers • More opportunities for teachers to gather together in professional
learning communities that enhance teaching and
learning • Greater parent involvement and satisfaction • Cost - efficiency Ultimately, creating successful
small learning communities and
small schools at the middle level increases the chances for students to be successful in high school and beyond.
Other programs we have evaluated
include the Voluntary Public School Choice,
Smaller Learning Communities, Teaching American History, Title IIB Math and Science Partnership, Title IID Enhancing Education Through Technology, Title VII Bilingual Education, 21st Century
Community Learning Centers, Drug - Free Schools, and National Science Foundation programs.
In his consulting work, Theron designs curriculum and teacher training materials and works with educators on a wide range of instructional issues,
including project - based
learning, school and
small learning community design, assessment, leadership development, asset mapping, strategic planning documents, and whole - school reform coaching.
Some key programs were eliminated, however,
including the $ 66.5 million Even Start family literacy program, and an $ 88 million program aimed at creating
small learning communities within large schools, particularly at the post-secondary level.