Small Learning Community

A Small Learning Community (SLC), also referred to as a School-Within-A-School, is a form of school structure that is increasingly common in secondary schools to subdivide large school populations into smaller, autonomous groups of students and teachers.

The primary purpose of restructuring secondary schools into SLCs is to create a more personalized learning environment to better meet the needs of students. Each community will often share the same teachers and student members from grade to grade.

Types

SLCs can take several forms.

* Theme-Based Smaller Learning Communities or Focus Schools are usually formed around a specific curricular theme. Examples might include "Success Academy" or "Humanities".

* Houses may be themed or non-themed or separated by grade levels.

* Career Academies are generally a three or four year structure developed around a career theme or Career Clusters. Characterized by career-related electives and integration of career theme across entire academic curriculum.

* Freshmen Academies are structure designed to support 9th grade students as they transition into high school.

* Magnet Schools are a career-themed SLC that includes accelerated course-work for Gifted & Talented students.

Examples

*Balboa High School (San Francisco)
*Chávez High School (Houston)
*Lebanon High School (Oregon)
*Monroe High School (Los Angeles)
*Minneapolis South High School

In Washington State

Several schools in Washington are a part of the “Small Schools Project” include: Cleveland High School, Clover Park High School, Evergreen High School, Foster High School, Henry Foss High School, Lincoln High School, Mariner High School and Tyee High School [ [http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/index.asp?siteloc=aboutus&section=schools Small Schools Project | About Us ] ] . One of the things all of these high schools have in common is that they all are among the lowest scoring schools in Washington State when it comes to standardized test scores [ [http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ Washington State Report Card ] ] . While proponents of small schools don’t see this as a problem, many others in the Mt. Rainier community wonder why they are modeling themselves after the worst performing schools in Washington state.

During the 2004-2005 school year Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines, Washington began exploring the idea of converting into a collection of "small schools", or "small learning communities". This effort was consistent with a district mandate to convert all 4 Highline School District high schools into Small Learning Communities, or SLC's. Those schools include Mt. Rainier, Highline High School, Evergreen High School, and Tyee High School.

The Mt. Rainier plan to create SLC's included breaking up 9th and 10th grade students into 3 different theme based schools. These schools are called Exploration [http://www.newdeal.feri.org/images/ab95.gif] , S.T.A.R. [http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/centennial/pics/4_11_a_one_room_school.jpg] , and G.E.S. [http://www.thirdlayer.org/sw/school/pictures/rloopsch.jpg] Each school has a theme that the students are to focus on during the school year. It is hoped that by dividing students into these three smaller schools that their high school experience will be more "personalized". To further achieve this sense of personalization, Mt. Rainier added an Advisory Program during the 2006-2007 school year. During Advisory teachers will work with students to help them plan for life after high school, compile a portfolio of their class work, and complete a required senior project. Of these only the senior project is required by Washington State to graduate [ [http://www.sbe.wa.gov/faqs/faq_pages/pathway.htm Washington State Board of Education ] ] .

External links

* [http://www.acteonline.org/resource_center/rch/careeracadem.cfm Association for Career and Technical Education small learning community resources]
* [http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/rss/index.html Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory]
* [http://www.theworksuite.com/id30.html Background and Structure of Career Clusters]
* [http://www.ed.gov/programs/slcp/index.html U.S. Department of Education SLC Program]
* [http://casn.berkeley.edu/ Career Academy Support Network]
* [http://www.irre.org/ftf/slc.asp Institute for Research and Reform in Education]
* [http://slcommunities.org California League of Schools]
* [http://www.topschools.com/StartUpFAQ.htm SLC Myths: Making it Better vs. Making it New]

Notes