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NOTES AND COMMENTS ABOUT
Making Big Schools Feel Small
TITLE: "Making
Big Schools Feel Small: Multiage Grouping, Looping, and Schools-Within-a-School."
PUBLISHER: National Middle School Association (2000)
This new book by Paul S. George and John H. Lounsbury -- two leaders of
the middle school movement -- describes how middle level schools are achieving
smallness within bigness and creating long-term teacher-student relationships
through the use of multiage grouping, looping, and schools within schools.
"Amply illustrated with examples; enhanced with data gathered from
a national survey of teachers, students, and parents who have experienced
these alternate patterns of organization in action; and supported by research
findings; this resource will be a valued guide as schools move, as they
must, to counter the effects of bigness and increase student achievement."
The contents include:
* The Case for Smallness and Long-Term Teacher-Student Relationships
* Three Middle School Organizational Patterns
-- Multiage grouping
-- Looping
-- Schools-within-a-school
* Research on Middle School Organizational Patterns
* Guidelines for Implementation
----------------------
JOHN is also leading an effort in Georgia to establish a new public middle
school based on the principles described in this book -- and the principles
espoused by the middle school movement. So you may also want to ask him
questions about Oak Hill Middle School, which opened its doors this fall.
Visit their website at:
http://www.baldwin-county-schools.com/oakhill/
Listserv Member Reviews and Comments
Paul George and John Lounsbury's book, "Making Big Schools Feel Small:
Multiage Grouping, Looping, and Schools-Within-a-School," has me champing
at the bit to get my school sorted out! To help familiarize those of us
who haven't yet read the book, here are a few cursory notes I took on the
first two parts.
Part I of the book presents the rationale for school structures that place
value on long-term relationships between teachers and students an on small
school structures. Administrators might need this argument, but classroom
teachers's heartstrings will vibrate in harmony as we read this chapter.
Students are healthier, happier, learn better and more, and develop holistically
in small school environments. Poor and at-risk kids do even better than
other kids. Teachers are happier and more productive. Obviously, there must
be social, physical, and fiscal constraints that keep schools from going
this route, because it makes educational sense! This section is a primer
for those of us who want to implement these changes in our districts and
need to present convincing arguements.
Part II explains the three strategies and offers descriptions of schools
who have the strategies in place. Many of the example schools have been
following strategies for years, so longitudinal results were available.
In a nutshell, here are the descriptions I gleaned to send my principal
to incite him to read this book:
THREE METHODS FOR MAKING BIG SCHOOLS FEEL SMALL
1. Multiage grouping
Students of different ages, ability levels, and interests are intentionally
placed on the same team. On a grades 6, 7, 8 team, for instance, the eighth
graders leave for high school, to be replaced the following year by sixth-graders.
Thus, students begin and end their middle school years on the same team.
Each team includes students from all grade and ability levels, and students
are sometimes grouped without regard to grade level. Students can be grouped
in any fashion, including heterogeneously, at grade level, or cross-grade.
However, multiage grouping does not require that each teacher teach three
different grade level lessons in each class each day. One study noted "Discipline
inside and outside the classroom became much less of a problem when teachers
and students maintained their relationships for three years" and other
schools who utilize multiage grouping echo that finding. Teachers in various
schools using this strategy noted that student growth and participation
is enhanced-what we in LRSD call "student achievement" of learning
is maximized as a result of a three year continuum, rather than the traditional
single year divisions with their first month review and last month "shut-down"
modes.
2. Looping
The practice of keeping teachers and students together over two or several
years, known as looping, is common at elementary schools, but seems especially
apt for middle schools, too. Teachers who might be skeptical at first come
to enjoy and prefer this practice. Teachers and students are spared the
unproductive, wasteful pattern of beginning review/reteach, initial weeks
on diagnosis and assessment, and the year-end winding down. Teachers and
students "hit the ground running" in August. Since students and
teachers are old friends, the beginning of the year loses its uncertainty
for both, as they are already acquainted, and they can reestablish their
community of learning quickly, catching up and celebrating being reunited.
Not having the pressure of having to get to know 110 middle schoolers enables
the teachers to help newly enrolled students fit in more smoothly. Knowing
they will be together for two or three years would seem to make the initial
months less overwhelming for the first year of the team, too.
An adjunct to looping that piqued my interest was the opportunity for summer
learning experiences and projects. Summer learning would also be possible
for multi-age grouping, too. Teams design summer projects to enable students
to continue to learn over the summer, singly and in groups that they might
form. During the initial weeks of school, students would present their summer
"learning experiences" to the teams.
3. Schools-Within-a-School
"In this approach, the larger school is divided into houses, villages,
communities, neighborhoods, or sub-schools that are representative of the
larger school." Personalized learning becomes possible since the "houses"
enable a small school learning environment but the large staff enables wide
variety in co-curricular offerings. Schools can personalize the learning
environment even more by creating smaller core teams. Generally, each "house"
has its own administrator, counselor, and clerical staff. Cafeteria, health,
and library services seem to remain centralized to the larger school. Staying
in their own "house" for three years seems to foster the sense
of community for students. An advisory program would seem to be essential
in this approach. Although students change teams and teachers each year,
the smallness of the "house" enables teacher members of grade
level teams to develop cross-grade collegial relationships. Similarly, students
care about what teachers at other grade levels think and say about them;
former and future teachers' good opinions are equally important. Lounsbury
says, "It is a three-year positive structure without either the intensity
or the complexity of multiage grouping or looping." What it lacks in
power, it makes up for in workability.
Beverly K. Maddox
Henderson Middle School
Little Rock, AR
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To begin, I want you all to know that this appears to be a "must read"
for all of us who love working with middle school kids and continously strive
to provide the best of all possible educational settings for them!
That said in my words, I want to move quickly to the powerful words of one
of the students who John and Paul quoted in their work.
From Ashley, quoted on page 41, "...I think it is a good idea that
you stay with your teacher for two years because you grow and become closer
with friends and teachers and that's important because if you have a problem
then you won't feel that shy to talk to a teacher about it because you have
known them. You get to know people better and become friends with people
who you thought you didn't like because you really didn't know them."
I picked this quote to begin my review because, having been a middle school
teacher, counselor, vice principal and now principal, the one factor that
absolutely cannot be ignored in all that we do in the name of creating middle
schools that we expect to serve our students well, is the factor of relationships.
As Ashley described with such depth of understanding, relationships form
the core of what is most important to middle school kids. My experience
tells me, over and over again, that the ways in which we address the middle
school student's drive to form and question relationships has a very high
correlation to the success, both academically and psychologically, of any
middle school program. When relationships are working on all levels, the
school is a good place for students, teachers and parents and when relationships
are not supported and nurtured, the schools do not work well. But, obviously,
John, you do not need me to tell you that! Your book is powerful evidence
for this fact!
What is most exciting to me about this book is that it provides not only
a variety of blueprints for creating middle school programs which nurture
and support a range of relationships, but the book also provides sound research
for why the looping, schools within a school, and multiage grouping models
work.
For those of you who have not read this book, if you are thinking that this
is just another book about the soft-side of middle schools that has been
criticized in this current atmosphere of accountability in education, do
not be misled by my opening remarks. This book also provides a very sophisticated
model, or series of models, which are based on solid research data (for
we must always be data driven!!) that shows the concrete academic benefits
for middle school students. A good deal of evidence is cited by John and
Paul, based on information from the 33 middle schools included in their
study, that students who had the benefit during their middle school years
of looping, etc., had not only short-term academic improvement, but the
academic gains and benefits appeared to follow them into highschool. And
with high school exit exams looming on the horizon or in place in many states,
we need to find ways to prepare our middle school students to successfully
complete these exams.
Since I am writing from my middle-school heart, I could go on and on, but,
I am not the only reviewer, so perhaps this can be a beginning point for
someone else to pick up and add to.
I have a few questions that I would enjoy being discussed, especially since,
due to living on the West Coast, I am not sure I will be able to participate
in the "live" discussion. So, here they are:
1. What plans, if any, are there for linking this research study with the
newly formed "Turning Points" model school implementation program?
2. On behalf of any listserv members on the West Coast, do we have any schools
using these models which we could visit?
3. While I agree that changes to models such as these are most successful
when initiated by quality middle school teachers, are there "gentle"
approaches to bringing these ideas to middle schools for teacher consideration
in settings where teachers may not even be aware that such models exist?
Betsy Burch
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I read the book "Making Big Schools Feel Small" with highlighter
and post-its. Here are some important quotes:
The case for small schools "The gap in academic achievement between
rich and poor schools is far more pronounced, as much as 90 percent more,
when schools are big than when they are small." p.3
The case for a teacher teaching more subjects, less students "When
a teacher is responsible for directing a series of classes with 150 or more
pupils in a day, that day can be hectic, stressful, and feel like a 'rat
race', as it is often characterized.......shen teachers have more time with
students, they not only know them better, they find greater satisfaction
in their work." p. 16
The case for multi-age classrooms "The assumption that students at
a particular grade level are about the same chronological age is false."
p. 20
The case for looping (staying with kids more than one year) From a 1916
Bureau of Education in the Dept. of the Interior it stated, " ...the
argument is strong for the advancement of the teacher with her pupils for
a considerable period of time." p.38
and... "Better to be taught ninth grade English by a seventh-grade
English teacher who knows and cares for the students than by an excellent
ninth-grade English teacher who does not know and or care about the students."
p. 43 (citing David & Roger Johnson - 1989)
and... From Tolland Middle School: "Looping, it would appear, is a
factor in the significantly improved academic performance students showed
by eighth grade as measured on these standardized test." p. 72
Parental Involvement "Tangentially, but no less important, the small
learning community structure also gave us as teachers the ability to get
to know the parents and families of our students better than we might have
otherwise." p. 61
Successful schools According to a 1979 study of 12 JHS's in England: "...the
crucial differences in the schools boiled down to whenther ofr not the school
effectively attended to the social side of learning. It was critically important,
said the report, that teachers and students cometo see themselves as part
of the same school group, the same team."
I hope this gives a taste of this very excellent book.
Naomi Smith
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Here are some of my thoughts about Lounsbury's book...
#1 The idea of creating "small communities of learners" is such
a marvelous idea! The problem we're having at my site regarding this "shift"
of philosophy and practice is two-fold.... First, we have a number of staff
members who are "subect specific" in their certification. This
makes it difficult, if not impossible, to have teachers teaching multiple
disciplines. Secondly, a number of our vocal veteran staff members are of
the high school mind-set, meaning that they are perfectly content with "curriculum-centered
instruction." Having150+ students each day doesn't seem to phase them,
even though, according to Lounsbury, that type of set-up really does nothing
toward helping to connect with kids.
#2 The "looping" idea also makes a whole lot of sense to me! We
COULD do this in our "home Base" period (10-15 minute "mini-AM
break"), but again, a number of my colleagues really groused about
this idea at a recent staff in-service. The major complaint? "We would
be stuck with kids who are 'trouble' for more than a year!!!" :( I
think this kind of thinking is all wet, but I am but one lonely voice on
our staff...
#3 This SHOULD BE a MUST READ for any teacher/ administrator who is truly
serious about doing the right thing for young adolescents!!! An excellent,
readable common sense piece...
My hope is that educators "buy into" these ideas before we lose
our kids. As I tell my students each year "We are HUMAN BEINGS before
we are given the title of 'Student' and 'Teacher'"... Thus, we should
work at connecting with each other, then work on the "book learning!"
Sorry for rambling on so, John. I'll keep fighting for our kids with the
support of people like John Lounsbury and the incredibly inspired folks
on this Listserv!!
Take care,
Ralph A. Thiel
Traeger Middle School
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Ralph, thanks for your thoughtful response. We have begun looping at Barren
County Middle School, and teachers have already shared with me how much
it helps to already know the students when the year begins, and as the book
says, "to see the results of their first year's work during the second
year."
I am still a bit amiss that there is not more data to support that looping
does affect student achievement. As we were trying to implement looping
last year, my naysayers pointed to this. I know middle level folks would
frown at my bringing this up, but the reality is people are skeptical anymore,
unless we can show results with regard to student assessment scores.
Michelle Pedigo
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I'm just about finished reading John's new book and I'm anxious to hear
about the ways parents and students were involved in the process of restructuring
the schools. I've read the survey responses, but I'm wondering what steps
were taken to actively engage these groups in ongoing dialogue. I'm continually
frustrated in my work, by the ways we treat parental and student voice as
an afterthought, or a frill, that we aren't able to get to most of the time.
John talks about parents and teachers as the most powerful adult influences
on young adults. I agree with him, but if those"influences" can't
connect, what's the message? I hope we'll spend some time on this area on
Thursday night.
Deb Bambino
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I guess my answer to this is a CONSCIOUS effort to include those folks up
front in the beginning discussions. All it takes is a conscious effort,
a welcoming attitude and an open mind that parents and students bring valuable
contributions to the table. Honestly, teachers are the ones who feel threatened,
I think, but it doesn't have to be that way. The "we're all in this
together" approach seems to work best.
Michelle
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Michelle Pedigo wrote: I guess my answer to this is a CONSCIOUS effort to
include those folks up front in the beginning discussions.
Michelle,
Maybe you could elaborate on your definition of CONSCIOUS.
I find many barriers in our way including, but not limited to divisions
based on race, class and language. I agree that teachers feel threatened
by meaningful parental involvement, but I'm not sure we can cut through
them without recognizing their roots and manifestations in what are sometimes
disrespectful behaviors.
I entered the education arena as a parent, but as a white parent, I was
afforded a certain amount of respect that others around me did not always
receive. As a parent I was sometimes viewed with suspicion, often relegated
to menial forms of support, ie- selling pretzels and cupcakes, and sometimes
met with blank stares, when I referred to child development research and
my questions about curriculum. It was as though, as a waitress and a parent,
I should only be interested in my child's last report card or homework assignment.
I have talked with teachers, who clearly feel that parents are only looking
out for their child(ren) and that in many instances they're just trying
to get over or trying to avoid their responsibility as parents. I rarely
hear spontaneous concern for the rights and contributions of parents and
families, let alone students in the process of reforming our schools.
Deb
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Michelle responded:
First, contact parents personally to serve on committees, explain to them
before the meeting their contributions are needed, the committee's focus,
etc. Do a lot of groundwork to help them feel comfortable, including killing
the "jargon dragon" and emphasizing to teachers, when they say,
"Let's get faculty input" that we must get parent and student
input as well, up front.
Second, when parents come to school, treat them like family. Don't talk
at them, but talk about partnerships around their student's learning, say
things like, "We don't have all the answers," etc.
Go to their homes, their work, their "places of play," their community
centers to talk with them.
Eat with them. What a great idea, Juli!
Be understanding of their limited understanding of new standards, new teaching
methods, etc. Last year, when we began to discuss looping, we had some parents
who were against it because it was "different." After explaining
all the research we had done, many of them began to dialogue with us about
how to make it work.
I hope this helps. I really don't have all the answers. I just know that
we do a lot of things in our school organizations to put up walls against
parent involvement, and when we really think about it, it's a lot of common
sense--not to be condescending--because we've gone for so many years ignoring
that common sense.
Michelle
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Our system converted to middle schools 6 years ago. At that time, there
was some team building training, however, since then, most of those teams
have changed and changed again in personnel. Many people who were former
elementary teachers and signed on to the middle school have now returned
because it became business as usual....a junior high with teams...the secondary
model winning...our joke is that the 9th grade left and the 6th took their
place. Our school(3 in system) is extremely overcrowded...over 1000 students....poor
original building design to accommodate these #s.......
I am reading the Lounsbury book with tears in my eyes, since we are so far
away from these ideas in theory and practice........Our recent state evaluation,
SALT in RI, stated that we needed a common vision of a middle school...we
continue to committee and committee to death without this....................
We have lost some of our original ability to use a block schedule this year
because of a bus and 4 lunch schedule........approx.180 minutes of academic
core per day...which of course really short changes the language arts time
for our kids, even though we 'talk' integration of these goals in the other
core subjects.......... I could go on.............
JACKIE R.
---------------------------------------------
Hi,
First time on the list serve and I am excited to add my "two cents".
I recently moved from elementary to a new magnet school in New Jersey. We
are also currently awaiting of becoming an International Baccalaureate School--all
800 students from both sides of town are able to come to our school through
a lottery system--it is not elitist or talented and gifted. We use the best
middle school practices, advisory every day for 40 minutes first thing in
the morning - with lots of scheduled advisory lessons. All students, 6-8
complete a personal project, taking through the research, etc. until the
completion of the projects which were extraordinary. We are in Learning
Communities - teams of 100 with 5 teachers per team. Each teacher teaches
one class plus advisory - and they still complain about this. They have
one hour each day to work on: Flexible scheduling, which can be formatting
to fit their team schedule, student support with the guidance counselor,
standards initiative (we recently wrote our own using NJ Core, NCTE, and
all others), interdisciplinary units, curriculum mapping, etc.
We are noticing this year with an influx of 22 new teachers - that our vision
is slowly eroding. We cannot figure it out! We realize, as I have many books
that speak to change and systems (Fullan and Senge), that much of this is
growing pains. However the dissentors are eroding the visionaries. What
is the book everyone is talking about?
Also, I do see the validity of teams--we had to do much work together in
cooperative learning, learning how to disagree, etc, and actualy team building
for the first two months to get this off the ground.
Alexis Ducat