The Case for Small Schools
This article appeared in the journal Education Canada in 2007 entitled "Cohesive Communities, Improved Outcomes: The Case for Small Schools."
It was written by academics at the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, and represents a Canadian take on much of the recent American research you might have seen.
Click here to open document (1.37MB) (pdf)
People for Education - Ontario
I also recommend Ontario's 'People for Education' web pages on school closures at http://www.peopleforeducation.com/schoolclosings
Of interest, the Ontario Ministry of Education has guidelines for school closures that demand school boards first follow a Social Evaluation Framework to assess the school's social and economic value to the community and to students, and to determine how the school fits into broader government objectives of community-building. This type of research within set guidelines has never been done in Saskatchewan, but it is something worth pushing for at both the local and provincial level. It is interesting that Ontario's provincial government has the good sense to lay out some rules to protect the rights of families and communities in the process, rather than simply washing their hands and looking away.
The value of historic neighbourhood schools
Here's a great website prepared by the National Trust on the value of renovating historic neighbourhood schools:http://www.nationaltrust.org/issues/schools/
The site contains a great handbook for saving schools, including how to deal with over-inflated rennovation estimates and school administrators who have no experience with the repair of older buildings.
Small Schools Get Results
Chicago Public Schools have undertaken a major project to promote small schools. Their website is full of information and research that details the advantages of neighbourhood schools.
Rural Schools
The Nebraska-based Centre for Rural Affairs has provided a website that contains useful information to help rural schools make the argument against closure.
Centre for Rural Affairs - Rural Schools
National Clearing House for Educational Facilities
Faced with schools that were failing students, the State of California targeted funds toward class size reduction. This report evaluates the findings.
http://www.classize.org/techreport/CSR_Capstone_prepub.pdf
The case for restoring neighbourhood schools
“As America rediscovers the value of walkable communities, recommended guidelines for the location and design of schools are changing,” the Pennsylvania Board of Education has concluded. The Board now promotes the renovation and restoration of older neighbourhood schools as a green alternative that is important to the vitality of communities. In the Board’s report Renovate or Replace? The Case for Restoring and Resusing Older School Buildings, government leaders, education experts, designers, planners, environmental experts and health advocates put out a strong call to re-engineer our thinking on the value of older buildings and neighbourhood schools. Like many other American school districts, Pennsylvania education planners have discovered that old theories of economy of scale don’t deliver quality education in a cost-efficient manner. Although the schools profiled are generally of a larger scale than Saskatchewan schools, the ideas and examples are an excellent resource for anyone interested in the environmental and social value of neighbourhood schools. If only our own school boards were this forward-thinking!
National Clearing House for Educational Facilities: Smart Growth and Schools
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/smart_growth.cfm
A comprehensive library of academic papers and planning documents relating to schools and communities. Topics include the "dollars and sense" of small schools, the importance of walkable schools, and the true cost of increased bussing.