NEW YORK — As many experts recommend smaller high schools as a way to improve education, large majorities of parents (80%) and high school teachers (85%) say smaller high schools are better at spotting troubled students, and more than half say they are more likely to have strong parental involvement (parents, 53%; teachers, 52%), according to survey results released today by the nonpartisan research organization Public Agenda.

But researchers also noted that just a third of parents say they have given a lot of thought to the idea of reducing school size, and many teachers and parents currently see other reforms as more pressing. Seventy percent of teachers, for example, say small class size is more important to student achievement than small school size.

"Many parents and teachers have very positive first impressions of smaller schools, but reducing school size is just not at the top of their agenda for education reform," said Deborah Wadsworth, President, Public Agenda. "Parents and teachers tend to talk more about ideas such as stronger discipline, smaller classes and improving teacher pay."

The Public Agenda surveys of 801 parents with children currently in high school and 920 public high school teachers were funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They are the first phase of a larger study that will compare the views of high school students, parents and teachers from both larger and smaller high schools on a range of academic and social factors. The complete study is set for release in December 2001.

Many communities, in states like California, Texas and Florida, are trying to deal with soaring high school enrollments. Columbine and other school shootings also raised questions about troubled students and alienation in large high schools.

Small schools, many pluses

According to the survey results, parents and teachers see a number of advantages to smaller high schools, and some serious drawbacks to larger ones:

• Majorities of parents (66%) and teachers (79%) say smaller high schools offer a better sense of belonging and community and are more likely to tailor instruction to meet individual needs (parents, 76%; teachers, 65%).




• More than two-thirds of parents and teachers (69% in both cases) say smaller schools are more likely to spot teachers who are not performing well.




• Large majorities of both groups (parents, 65%; teachers, 71%) say smaller schools would be better at helping students in large urban districts.




• More than two-thirds (parents, 68%; teachers 70%) say larger schools are more likely to have a lot of discipline problems.





• Majorities of both groups (parents, 56%; teachers, 62%) say larger high schools are more likely to have students who are alienated or socially isolated.

Few advantages in larger high schools

Of more than a dozen criteria assessed by the survey, respondents say smaller high schools outperform larger ones in all but two categories, offering a diverse student body and a diverse curriculum. Fifty-nine percent of parents and 76% of teachers say larger schools are more likely to have a more racially and ethnically diverse student body. Similarly, more than two-thirds of parents (67%) and an overwhelming number of teachers (88%) believe larger schools offer a wider variety of courses.

But despite these positive views of small schools, researchers caution that there is no firm nationwide consensus for reducing high school size, and survey results suggest that many parents and teachers see other issues as more pressing.

For example, researchers presented survey respondents with four different approaches to improve education—reducing school size, reducing class size, improving discipline, and improving teacher pay. No single approach gains majority support, but only 20% of parents and 14% of teachers say that breaking up large high schools into smaller ones would be the best course of action. Larger numbers opt for stronger discipline (parents, 26%; teachers, 32%) or reducing class size (parents, 27%; teachers, 29%). About one in five parents (18%) and teachers (23%) say improving teacher salaries is the best first step.

Not uppermost in their minds

"People in leadership circles have been talking about reducing school size for years, but for parents especially, this is basically a new idea for improving schools. They actually haven't given it that much thought," said Steve Farkas, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Public Agenda.

According to the survey, just 32% of parents say they have given "a lot of thought" to the idea of breaking up large high schools. Among parents who had a choice about where their own teenager would attend school, 55% say that school size was "not too important" or "not at all important" to them in making their decision. Majorities of parents (62%) and teachers (59%) say that it does not matter how many students attend a high school, as long as it's not overcrowded.

Many teachers anticipate community opposition

The Public Agenda surveys also suggest that local proposals to break up large high schools could prompt considerable debate. Pluralities of those surveyed-48% of parents and 44% of teachers-say they would be inclined to support their own district if it moved to break up a large high school into schools of less than 500 students. But about one in four parents (27%) and teachers (23%) say they would oppose a proposal like this, and many either say they would neither support nor oppose the idea (parents, 19%; teachers, 16%), or are unsure (parents, 3%; teachers, 17%). At least half of both groups (parents, 52%; teachers, 50%) think the idea would be too expensive and impractical. Almost half of teachers (49%) say that such a proposal would generate widespread opposition in their community, although parents are less pessimistic on this score.

The Public Agenda survey occurs against a backdrop of significant leadership interest in reducing school size especially at the high school level, Wadsworth pointed out. "A number of large cities, such as New York and Chicago, are pursuing this path, and Congress is considering legislation to offer additional funding to schools with 600 or fewer students."

More than 70% of high school students attend schools with more than 1,000 students, and half attend schools with more than 1,500 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. For the purposes of this study, a small high school was defined as one with 500 or fewer students.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports smaller high schools, and has provided funding both to help school districts redesign large high schools and to help model small schools replicate themselves. Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public opinion organization, takes no position on smaller high schools and was given complete freedom to conduct the research according to its own discretion. Public Agenda takes full responsibility for the results of the study.

Prior to the surveys, Public Agenda conducted seven focus groups with public school parents and teachers in White Plains, NY, St. Louis, MO, Boston, MA, and Seattle, WA. Methodology: Public Agenda's report is based on a national telephone survey of 801 parents of public high school students and a national mail survey of 920 public high school teachers. The survey of parents was conducted between May 17 and June 11, 2001, using a random sample of households. The survey of teachers was conducted between May 8 and June 15, 2001, using a sample that was randomly drawn from a comprehensive national database of high school teachers. The margin of error for both surveys is +/-3%.

Public Agenda, located in New York City, is well respected for its influential public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.

Characteristics of Small and Large High Schools

In your view, which school is more likely to have each of the following characteristics - a smaller high school with less than 500 students, a larger high school with more than 1,000 students, or do you think there would be no difference?

Expectations about Small High Schools

Supporters of small high schools say that small schools offer a number of advantages for students. For each of the following, please indicate if you think they are probably right, probably wrong, or if you are not sure.

Drawbacks of Small High Schools

On the other hand, some people say that there are drawbacks to small high schools. For each of the following, please indicate if you think they are probably right, probably wrong, or if you are not sure.

How Communities Would React

How do you think most people in your community would react to a proposal to break up your high school into smaller schools with less than 500 students in each?

Public Agenda is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nonpartisan public policy research. Founded in 1975 by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, Public Agenda is well respected for its influential public opinion surveys and balanced citizen education materials. Its mission is to inject the public's voice into crucial policy debates. Public Agenda seeks to inform leaders about the public's views and to engage citizens in discussing complex policy issues.