We know that small schools work to reduce behavior problems (call it accountability for actions or population density increasing aggression), but why don’t we have them? Money, which I suppose was the reason that Gates Foundation became involved. So why did the project fail? From my years of experience, I’d say that they made that investment about 10 years too late in the students’ lives.

The small schools need to be at the elementary and middle school level. But more importantly those are the levels at which students need to be taught where their developmental readiness is. The real problem is the rigid adherence to standards instruction, especially through 6th grade. Unless children learn the basics (and that’s why we had that movement in the past), they will act out from frustration and achieve far less. Standards instruction removes the possibility of developmentally appropriate instruction.

I don’t believe a successful school is one that sends all its students to college, A successful school helps students attain their potential and supports them to find their areas of interest, skills and talents. Higher education is not for everyone. After all, did Gates actually graduate?