Big Buildings, Small Schools: Using a Small Schools Strategy for High School Reform

Big Buildings, Small Schools describes emerging efforts by communities such as Boston, Oakland, New York City, and Sacramento to convert large, comprehensive high schools into “education complexes” made up of multiple autonomous small schools under one roof. Lili Allen and Adria Steinberg of JFF draw on strategies being undertaken in these communities to explore implementation issues that arise concerning school-level autonomies, governance, and leadership of high school reform at the district level. They also delve into the challenges for “central office” leaders of managing a system of learning options that offers a broader range of choices for students and parents.