The document summarizes Thomas Toch's book which examines five alternative high schools in the US that have smaller student populations compared to traditional large high schools. The schools profiled are Julia Richman Education Complex, Urban Academy, High Tech High, The Met School, and Minnesota New Country School. Each school has a distinctive approach but they share common features like personalized learning, strong sense of community, autonomy for teachers, and emphasis on preparing students for citizenship. The document concludes that downsizing schools and reforming to involvement-based education can help schools catalyze change and better prepare students to compete globally.

1. High Schools On A Human Scale By Thomas Toch Presentation by: Robert Vincent

2. Thomas Toch is the executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, co-founder of the think tank Education Sector, and a leading national voice on education policy. He has his master’s in Education from the University of Toronto. He has spent years as a professor at Harvard Graduate school and as a senior education correspondent at U.S. News and Report. Thomas Toch

3. Thomas Toch challenges the status quo in education through a thorough and descriptive look at five high schools throughout America. Each school is distinctive in its own right, but each display many commonalities, first and foremost being size. “Less Is More” Iwill attempt to outline each school’s distinctive influences and functions relative to educating students. Mypurpose is to show that these schools show promise in providing alternatives to the traditional, mainstream, comprehensive high school that our country has embraced for decades “Comprehensive high school is an educational dead end where low expectations and tracking swell enrollment in courses like “introduction to consumer math” instead of geometry, algebra, and trigonometry.” page 10

4. “Julia Richman has abandoned the American tradition of the “big school” in favor of a scaled down educational setting that engender a far stronger sense of community, where students care because they feel cared about.” pg 20

6. Public space in school used for dance studios, art, distance learning, etc.

7. Autonomy for teachers

8. Autonomy for school given by the school district

9. Less “teaching” more student interactions

10. Teachers are not seen as authoritative, which allows for the building of mutual respect and tolerance

11. Limited extracurricular activities or athletics

13. Classroom conditions teach students how to deal with conflict, intelligently present or refute an argument, and judge the substance of the ideas as opposed to the person expressing them. In addition to report cards, students receive narrative reports that are documented in each class, each semester. Students must complete a series of seven proficiencies to graduate. These require students to do independent research projects in literature, mathematics, social studies, science, creative arts, criticism, and library usage. Then students present the projects orally to a panel of teachers and/or outside experts. Urban Academy, continued “The ultimate goal is to produce independent, thinking, and articulate citizens.” Urban Academy website

14. “…Provide all HTH students with an extraordinary education, and to graduate students who will be thoughtful, engaged citizens prepared to take on the difficult leadership challenges of the 21st century.” -High Tech High Website

15. Technology is the center of education. Technology promotes an adult-like atmosphere, a mature learning environment, and emphasizes self-sufficiency. All academic subjects are taught as a series of independent and group projects. Teachers serve mainly as project coordinators. Students are tracked not only by GPA but also by digital portfolios they create. Students must do a 100 hour off-campus internship, fostering mature learning and adult career relationships. School has specific learning goals: Collaboration (How do I work with others?) Technology (How do I use technology as a tool?) Communication (How do I take in and express information?) Art and Design (How do I give shape and form to my ideas?)Ethics and Responsibility (How do my beliefs inform my actions?) High Tech High

16. At first a school with the motto “one student at a time” and where personalization runs deep seems an unlikely place to push students, again and again, outside their comfort zone. Yet The Met School in Providence, RI does precisely that. Day after day, the school challenges its 336 students to attempt the untried or unknown—academically, personally, and socially—and wrest from those experiences the learning and growth that come with such stretching.” -MET review for WhatKidsCanDo.org

17. The Met Education centers on internships and mentorships with the belief that motivation and success is gained through real world experiences. Series of internships and independent projects expose students to different career paths and opportunities. NO classrooms, NO textbooks, NO teachers- only advisors. Students have a role in drafting and enforcing discipline codes. Groups of 14 students are assigned to one advisor that stays with them all four years. Advisors provide continuing educational and emotional support for the students. They are also required to take students on trips through the year. Teachers work in the summer and take workshops for additional training. Students have oral exams and detailed narratives replace traditional report cards. The school’s learning goals: Communications (where the goals range from studying a second language to writing clearly) Social Reasoning (resolving conflicts, participation in civil activities) Empirical Reasoning (testing hypotheses, interpreting data) Quantitative Reasoning (arithmetic, algebra, estimation, number sense) Personal Qualities (respecting one’s self and others, managing time effectively)

18. “There is a new culture created around New Country. One with a new freedom and motivation to say “we can” when dreaming about what might happen for kids. We often say this is “missionary work”, converting one soul at a time. For me, the past ten years has been just that, working with one person or a small group to help them realize the possibilities of acting on their dreams.” Doug Thomas, one of the New Country planners

19. Teacher ownership leads to increased productivity and greater innovation. Non-traditional environment Daily reading periods Year round school calendar No administration- there are leadership teams Students do individual and group projects Students clean the school Parent conferences are extended and they are held multiple times a year Teachers attend workshops and additional training Teacher tenure is in the hands of the students. Minnesota New Country School “Because New Country’s teachers are responsible for the school’s educational experience, they tend to have the same educational philosophy. The school, as a result, has a clear sense of what it’s trying to do with its students- a key ingredient of successful schools.” pg 110

20. Low student populations Good attendance (often upwards of 90%) Teachers with high resolve, dedication, and passion High collegiate placement Low dropout rates Limited athletics Less aggressive behavior by student body, minimal security Strong sense of community Group learning Environmental distinctions that differentiate them from traditional schools Good teacher training Great deal of parental involvement Educational autonomy Ability to hire teachers with philosophies that converge with the philosophy of the school Commonalities of Small Schools

22. Which of these schools do you think will have the least success in sustaining themselves as a viable option to big, traditional high schools? Why? Considering that our country’s number one educational mandate is “No Child Left Behind,” is the size of a school the determining factor in adhering to this mandate? Or does the quality of the school supersede that assumption? Can big schools fulfill the responsibility of leaving no child behind? Are big schools too far gone within the scope of the bureaucracy that seems to envelope them to make the kinds of drastic changes we have seen outlined in these smaller schools? Questions for Discussion