 |
Program
Title:
Smaller Learning Communities Program
Administered by:
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and
Secondary Education and
Office of Vocational and
Adult Education
Who May Apply:
Local education agencies (LEAs) may apply on behalf of
one or more large high schools(schools that include grades
11 and 12 and enroll at least 1,000 students in grades
9 and above). Bureau of Indian Affairs schools and groups
of LEAs may also apply.
Timeline:
Applications are scheduled to be available in August 2001.
Awards are scheduled to be made in December 2001.
Funding Amount:
250-350 grants at an average of $300,000 will be made.
Contact:
Ms. Diane Austin
U.S. Department of Education
OESE, Smaller Learning
Communities Program
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20202
E-mail: Diane.Austin@ed.gov
Telephone: (202)260-1280
Fax: (202) 260-8969
* This information is subject to change. Check
the U.S. Department of Education web site for updated
grant information or call
(202) 260-1925. Click
here for additional information about the Smaller
Learning
Communities program. |
|
|
|
Tapping Into New Funding Sources—
Smaller Learning
Communities Program
Looking for possible funding sources for your
school-based violence and drug prevention efforts? If you have a
large high school that you hope to reorganize into smaller, safer
learning communities, then the U.S. Department of Education's Smaller
Learning Communities program might be for you.
The Smaller Learning Communities program provides funds to local
education agencies to support the development of small, safe, and
successful learning environments in large high schools to help ensure
that all students will graduate with the knowledge and skills they
need to make successful transitions into adulthood.
Research on school size has created a widespread movement towards
smaller schools and the creation of smaller learning communities
within large high schools. In 1996, the National Association of
Secondary School Principals and the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching issued a report entitled "Breaking
Ranks: Changing an American Institution." The report recommended
that high schools break into units of no more than 600 students
in order to ensure that teachers and students get to know each other
and care about each other, and to provide teachers with opportunities
to use a variety of instructional strategies that engage individual
learners.
These recommendations are further supported by a growing body of
knowledge about the association between smaller learning environments
and school safety. Small classes and small schools promote stronger
bonds between teachers and students that lead to an improved school
climate and fewer discipline problems and disruptions. More personal
classroom environments also allow teachers to give more individualized
attention to each of their students, giving them a better opportunity
to identify troubled students and recommend counseling or other
appropriate interventions before violence occurs.
There are many effective strategies for restructuring large schools
that can be explored through this grant. These include establishing
"schools within schools"; instituting block scheduling;
developing personal adult advocates, teacher-advisory systems, or
other mentoring strategies; reducing teacher workloads; and other
innovations designed to create a safer, more personalized high school
experience for students and improve student achievement.
|
|
