Schools C&I 212 Dr. Brown

What is a school? Physical Place Place were students go to learn Social institution – an organization with established structures and rules designed to promote certain goals.

What are the purposes? Transmitting society and reconstructing society Participation in society and academic learning Individual needs and collective needs Sustaining for today and preparing for tomorrow

Types Public Private Traditional / Neighborhood / Full-service Magnet Charter Alternative Private Parochial Single-gender Homeschool For-profit schools

High Schools Comprehensive High School Criticism of the CHS Attempts to meet the needs of all students Often divided into tracks – college-prep, general, vocational Extracurricular activities (band, theater, sports) for social, personal, and intellectual development Criticism of the CHS Tracking – limits choices and segregates students Size – larger schools are more impersonal and students get lost in the shuffle Departmentalization – fragments the curriculum Alternatives: interdisciplinary teams, small learning communities

Middle School Designed to help students through the rapid social, emotional, and intellectual changes characteristic of early adolescence. Adaptations: Teachers and students are placed in interdisciplinary teams Attempts are made to create and maintain teacher-students relationships Use of interactive teaching strategies Eliminate competitive sports and organizations

Organization of Schools Personnel Administrators Principal – ultimate responsibility Vice or Assistant Principal – oversight of various elements of the school (i.e. discipline, building and grounds, extracurriculars) Support Staff Guidance counselors, school psychologists, health care providers, media center specialists, secretaries, physical plant staff, and curriculum specialists.

Organization of Schools Physical Plant Classrooms, hallways, offices, auditoriums, gymnasiums, music rooms, etc… Alternatives – open classrooms, moveable walls, modulars Who monitors the physical plant? How well is it maintained? Curriculum Organization Is there a guiding philosophy? Who determines the curriculum?

Location Rural Suburban Urban

Effective School Research Optimal school and class size School - large, but not too large (600-900 students), however small schools researchers push for more like 200-300. Class – under 20 has positive effects on students and teachers Clear mission and strong leadership Teachers share an understanding of institutional goals Administrators focus on teaching and learning Safe and orderly environment Students need to feel emotionally safe in schools for learning to occur Orderly classrooms promote learning and student motivation High parental involvement The more a parent is involved the higher the student achievement and attitudes and behavior of students

Effective School Research Academic focus Teachers have high expectations and maximize instructional time Sports and clubs do not take precedence over courses High collective efficacy Teacher must believe that they can promote learning in all students Take responsibility for student success or failure Interactive instruction Teachers engage students with questions, discussions, and projects Frequent monitoring of student progress Assessment is an integral part of teaching and occurs often and promptly