School Size and Academic Performance

Paper Summary:

One of the most heated point of contention within school districts currently is the variable effects of school size, school funding and student performance. There are costs and benefits associated with school size and especially class size and those issues affect school funding, as it is largely accepted that less schools, therefore larger schools equals less cost overall. Yet, the concern in any district is the trade off associated with increasing the size of the student body and therefore almost assuredly increasing the class size and the student to teacher ratio. Mississippi schools are not alone in their quest to find an answer to this growing dilemma. A review of current literature assists educators in a greater understanding of the inherent problems and solutions offered for both increasing school size and decreasing or maintaining current status. This analysis assesses the current state of information on the interrelated issues of student body size, school costs and academic performance. A short summary of the conclusive evidence within the literature, shows that there is a growing trend to determine just what the best size is for secondary schools. The overwhelming evidence is in favor of smaller schools that incorporate the use of many interdisciplinary tools and use careful coordination to ensure that diversity remains within the school curriculum. Researchers from all over the spectrum are searching for ways to determine the best possible results for all students within the compulsory education system and the focal point could just be the very question this paper asks: How much does school size affect cost and student success?

From the Paper:

"Not only does Roellke suggest that smaller schools are just as effective as larger schools on the issue of curriculum and that there are possibilities that can be offered only by smaller schools, he also contends that smaller schools are the best trying ground for curricular improvement efforts. "Lower enrollments allow for such engaging and meaningful instructional practices, suggesting that small schools are ideal sites for curriculum reform efforts." (Roellke 1996) Roellke also stresses that some of the ways in which smaller high schools offer greater curricular diversity than they might have in the past, is through the implementation of greater collaborative efforts and also the use of technological advances. Roellke is one of many researchers making the connection between school size and curricular diversity a less important factor through further investigation."

More papers on School Size and Academic Performance:

• Research Paper # 125698 : "Alcohol and Academic Performance"
• Essay # 45102 : "Class Size and Student Performance"
• Essay # 45787 : "Education Reform"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: