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School Construction 2001

August 30, 2001

Why size matters

  • Studies show that students learn better in smaller schools. Even today’s large, comprehensive high schools are retooling themselves to foster a sense of community.
  • By CRAIG MASON
    DLR Group

    Image courtesy of the DLR Group
    A new design at Mariner High School in Mukilteo included the construction of a 28-classroom addition that allows for small, personalized learning communities.

    Is bigger really better? In a world where super-size fries and sports utility vehicles are par for the course, many communities and their education professionals are beginning to reconsider the notion that large, comprehensive schools are the most effective way to educate their students.

    Schools built in the 1950s and 1960s were large by necessity, accommodating the need created by baby boomers. Many argued at the time that bigger schools were the only educational setting through which a comprehensive curriculum could be delivered to such a vast number of students.

    Our nation’s leading education experts are now challenging this assumption. Even as students benefited from increased course offerings and the myriad of extracurricular activities provided by large high schools, significant problems have since developed in our education system.

    Compelling evidence exists to support these assertions. Today, fewer than half of America’s fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders read at a proficient or advanced level, according to research conducted by the National Assessment of Student Progress.

    In addition, by the 12th grade, students are scoring well below teen-agers in almost every other developed country in math and science. And sadly, we don’t have to look any further than the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., to find an example of the disassociation many children feel from their peers and community.

    Many believe problems such as decreased graduation rates and literacy levels, below-average math and science proficiency, low standardized test scores and social difficulties stem from a large school’s inability to provide the sense of community — a condition leading educators regard as integral to a pupil’s success.

    Efforts to reduce the negative effects of school size require many decisions. Considerable changes are necessary for the new small-school curriculum and programming, and many schools are finding that there are design implications that result from these changes.

    Experts agree that paramount to the successful implementation of a smaller learning environment is a school that efficiently facilitates the new programming and curriculum. As a result, the question for school district facility planners and architects becomes, “What does an effective small school look like, and what are our options for successfully creating these environments?”

    Four major options are available to school districts and communities that are considering a switch to smaller schools: building a small school from the ground up, utilizing a satellite facility, reorganizing the space in an existing school, and completely renovating and redesigning an existing school.

    In addition, the district must decide which style of small school is appropriate for their educational goals. The formidable options available are textbook small schools (400 students or less), schools-within-schools, focus schools, charter schools and career academies. The different formats have a common characteristic: each is designed to personalize and maximize student-teacher interaction.

    At Mariner High School in Mukilteo, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded a grant to help the school strengthen its academic experience through the creation of smaller learning communities.

    The school’s new, 28-classroom addition is grouped in classroom clusters of four and five. Each classroom grouping is physically separated from each other and shares its own gathering space.

    This configuration will allow the creation of six career academies. Along with a core curriculum of math, science, language and history, students can join a career academy where they can take classes that cater to their personal interests.

    The new design provides infrastructure and flexibility to support the school’s new technology plan, which provides over 30 computers in each learning community and sets the goal that each student have a personalized electronic portfolio.

    Special attention was given to creating a unique learning environment. One of the common mantras in the small-school movement is that the school should look different from the traditional high school. To that end, the interior design introduces subtle changes in material and color, allowing each learning community to maintain a unique identity.

    Granby High School in Norfolk, Va., has also embraced a small-school layout. Special circumstances faced the Norfolk City School District as it decided on the future of the school.

    The school district considered building four small schools in place of the large school, but soon realized that the historic Granby High School was too important a part of the city’s history to abandon or destroy.

    The challenge then became how best to renovate and modernize a historic building while incorporating a small-school design, including the creation of four distinct academies. Designers reconfigured existing space and added square footage while maintaining and enhancing the building’s original design.

    After the historic renovation and modernization, Granby began to re-attract students who had withdrawn to attend private schools. Disciplinary referrals dropped substantially, standardized test scores rose above statewide averages and students reported receiving more personal attention from teachers and other staff members.

    In San Diego, officials for a charter school wanted to create a small-school environment that placed technology at the forefront of its curriculum. The resulting school, High Tech High, has facilities that are unique among high schools.

    Rather than locating High Tech High in an existing school building, the school was placed in the redeveloped Naval Training Center. The 40,000-square-foot building, formerly used for naval technical training, now has 14 classrooms serving 400 students. Labs at the center of the building are accentuated by high ceilings.

    With much more expansive workstation and project space than commonly found in school buildings, High Tech High can accommodate personal workstations for each student as well as classroom, lab and group project workspace. In lieu of lockers, students have their own desk and filing cabinet.

    The building underwent approximately $6 million in improvements, including a new roof, skylights, trusses, windows, floor and mechanical systems. While the building will eventually require some face-lift and partitioning work, it is ideally suited for the curriculum and focus of High Tech High.

    Clearly, there are many encouraging examples of schools creatively minimizing the effects of size. Their successes suggest that the strategy of building community through small-school programming and design is minimizing — and in some cases erasing — many problems schools face.

    As school districts and architects build the future of America’s schools, the influence of small-school design will contribute greatly to the notion of a personalized education and student-focused success.


    As principal in charge of all education projects in the DLR Group Seattle office, Craig Mason has been involved in the design of over 100 K-12 facilities with over 16 years of experience.


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