UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1961 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C.- Price 25 cents Foreword S OCIETY'S RESPONSIBILITY in the 1960's is no less for the youth in our small high schools than for those in our large comprehensive high schools. A sound education, commensurate with ability, is the heritage of all. The extremely small high school is necessarily limited in its educational offerings. While the school reorganization movement has advanced significantly since World War II in combining small school districts, the number of extremely small high schools remains proportionately great. During the school year of 1958-59, over 8,000 of the Nation's 19,000 high schools enrolled fewer than 200 students. In such small schools-particularly those in relatively isolated areas with little chance of becoming larger-what can be done to improve instruction? The story of the experiments conducted in some of them in order to bring about such improvement is the basis of this study. The results of these experiments will not be available for some time, but such results will bear a close look. Increasingly, our progress in many educational areas is being determined by the findings of research. Progress in improving the small high school is certainly no exception. Other types of elementary and secondary schools, specifically larger high schools, may also benefit from much of the research in progress and that which is projected as described in these pages. The Office of Education appreciates the time and efforts contributed to this study by personnel of the Catskill Area Project in Small School Design, the Rocky Mountain Area Project for Small High Schools, the Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction, the Educational Facilities Laboratories, Inc., and the Ford Foundation. The use of the excellent photographs, in particular, was possible only through their generosity. J. DAN HULL Director Instruction, Organization, and Services Branch E. GLENN FEATHERSTON Assistant Commissioner Division of State and Local School Systems Photo Credits Page vi.-Courtesy, RMAP, Denver, Colo.; Myron Wood, photographer, Colorado Springs, Colo. Page 7.-Top: Ford Foundation; Robert Fitch Smith, architect. from Design for ETV, by Educational Facilities Laboratories, Inc. Bottom Reproduced Page 11.-Courtesy of E. W. Rushton, superintendent of schools, Roanoke, Va. Page 16. Courtesy of Midwest Program on Airborne Television Instruction. Pages 22, 24, 36, 47.-Courtesy, RMAP, Denver, Colo.; Myron Wood, photographer, Pages 25, 27, 29, 32, 39, 42.-Courtesy, CAP, Oneonta, N.Y.; Fynmore Photos, Boonville, N.Y. Page 48. Courtesy, National Education Association, Department of Audio-Visual Instruction. IV |