ERIC Number: ED454575
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 44
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-87367-662-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Creating a School-within-a-School. Fastback 462.
Sicoli, Aldo
This fastback document explores ways to develop alternative high-school programs to help at-risk students. It focuses on the "school within a school" model where the emphasis is on a caring school climate and smaller class sizes. The booklet offers a step-by-step guide for developing an alternative school, which begins with determining the need for, and purpose of, the program. Next, school officials must obtain funding for the program, provide planning time, examine how the program will be accepted, hire staff, name the program, establish class offerings, determine policies, admit students, decide on various instructional strategies, choose facilities and equipment, and evaluate the program. The text emphasizes the importance of taking enough time to implement each stage of the process correctly and making sure that the right persons are chosen for each task. The optimal size of a "school within a school" depends on the reason for the program, the available resources, the size of the school, and other factors. Most programs have between 30 and 80 students; if the program is much larger, it becomes difficult to meet the academic and social needs of individual students. The alternative school should also have autonomy and should encourage flexibility in teaching assignments. (Contains 11 references.) (RJM)
Descriptors: Educational Change, Educational Methods, Educational Policy, High Schools, House Plan, Nontraditional Education, Program Implementation, School Policy, Small Classes
Phi Delta Kappa International, 408 North Union, P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402-0789. Tel: 800-766-1156 (Toll Free); Tel: 812-339-1156; Web site: http://www.pdkintl.org.
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, Bloomington, IN.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Published each fall and spring.