1. Schools
C&I 212
Dr. Brown

2. 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.

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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?

9. Location
Rural
Suburban
Urban

10. Effective School Research
Optimal school and class size
School - large, but not too large ( students), however small schools researchers push for more like
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

11. 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