Small Classes Influence Student Success

Middle School-Junior High-Intermediate School—whatever you call it—the years between elementary school and high school are pivotal years for personal and academic development. Young adolescence is a challenging time of life.  Parents then may wonder how it can be a time for young people to discover the joy of learning, master academic subjects, make good friends, and understand themselves.

Today, the challenge seems even greater, with problems like texting, bullying, grown-up-too-soon social situations. Large middle school environments can be daunting for even the most confident of young people. These days students contend with many aspects of the whole experience.  Worry about fashion, cyber and direct bullying, the stigma that being smart isn’t cool all have little to do with the purpose at hand - to expand, grow, explore, become active lifelong learners.

It has become widely accepted that middle school-aged students are destined to suffer through their young adolescence - a sense that this time of life simply isn’t a happy one.  There is another way. 

Studies show that a smaller classroom setting can be of great benefit. In a small learning community, teachers are more able to use a variety of instructional approaches in order to match a student’s specific learning style. The content of the teaching is adapted to the interests and needs of the students, thus students are more apt to engage.  And when engaged, they will learn skills.

Americans are rediscovering the small school. Education has proclaimed that "bigger is better" for so long that many have become believers in a doctrine that they have not truly examined. Indeed, the largeness of many of our schools may be one factor contributing to declines in test scores and increases in violence among students (Wynne).

In a small school it is not unusual for teachers, administrators, and school board members to know each other well. This can lead to easy acceptance of new ideas among friends as well as a strong sense of identification and belonging (Barker, Educational Resource Information Center, U.S. Department of Education).

While some of the reasons for creating large schools have been about economics i.e., taxpayers can apply dollars toward one location vs. many smaller facilities, studies however show that the benefits and long-term cost need to be considered in relation to the success of students.

Studies have shown small schools can operate more flexibly and more responsively than large schools because there is less formal bureaucracy. In addition, students and teachers in small schools know each other better, there are higher levels of teacher satisfaction, and community members are more involved with the schools.

“There is less violence in small schools, less vandalism, a heightened sense of belonging, and better attendance,” the KnowledgeWorks report states. “Students earn higher grade point averages, and more participate in extracurricular activities.”  http://heartland.org/policy-documents/many-benefits-smaller-schools

Learning is a life-long process.  Parents ultimately have the primary responsibility for educating their children.  Considering how a child learns best can be the basis for the parent’s decision to purposely match the learning style with an environment to meet those needs.  In a smaller setting, the chances increase that children can be met where they are.

Written by Melinda Alcosser - co-founder/educator of the CT Experiential Learning Center (CELC) of Branford. CT Experiential Learning Center is a dynamic middle school program that provides small classes and combines exceptional academics with hands-on and real-world learning experiences to fit the academic, social, and emotional needs of the 5th – 8th grade student. http://ctexperiential.org.