Lorain City Schools - Small Schools

WELCOME

Like other large urban high schools throughout Ohio, Lorain City Schools acknowledges the problems we have faced in areas like student attendance, graduation rates, percentages of students passing all areas of the Ohio Proficiency Tests, drop out rates, and low percentages of students who feel their schools care about them. Last year Lorain City Schools made considerable progress in the area of student learning and is no longer in a state of “academic emergency.” We celebrate our accomplishments but feel there is much more progress to be made!

What are Small Schools?

Based on these realities, in 2002 Lorain City Schools decided to explore a new approach. The approach is often referred to as “small schools” and is intended to improve teaching and learning for youth through collaboration, personalization and differentiation of instruction. Many urban school districts across the nation have transformed their high schools into small schools and provided considerable evidence about how we can provide a safer place for students, a more positive environment for learning, higher achievement for students, higher graduation rates, fewer disciplinary problems and much greater satisfaction for teachers, students, and families.

What are community has said:

We shared what we have learned about the small schools approach with the community and listened to your needs and desires. We have heard the community tell us they want:

Safer schools
Individual attention for students
Teaching tailored to the many individual learning styles of students
Quality and supportive teachers
More parental involvement with the schools
More ways for students to explore careers and be better prepared for work and college
Students who are inspired to take ownership in their community and compelled to give back to the community as young adults

Where do we go from here?

We are responding to our community’s desires by transforming the Lorain Admiral King High School and Southview High School into seven small schools with over $1 million in support provided by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and support provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Education. The schools now enter a three-year implementation phase, during which they will continue to receive extensive technical assistance and professional development from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. Each of the seven schools (four at Admiral King and three at Southview) will serve no more than 400 students and will be developed with the understanding that teaching and instruction must be done differently.

What does this mean for our youth?

This means our high school youth will get more personalized attention and more hands-on classroom experience. They will be more successful in school and be able to apply what they learn in the real world. We also want parents to know more about what their children are doing and will involve them with our small schools so we are working together to help kids learn. The small schools will allow for better planning among teachers and staff. Our teachers will also receive training on new ways of inspiring children to learn. We will have better attendance, higher achievement, higher graduation rates, and fewer problems experienced within our high schools.

How can you help?

We have some key decisions to make this year as Lorain Admiral King and Southview enter the implementation phase. We want to know the direction people in our community want the schools to move in, and the possible benefits and consequences of specific actions we will consider. We also need to know what questions you still have. If you would like to participate in a non-formal, relaxed group discussion of no more than 12 individuals like yourself, please contact the Public Services Institute at Lorain County Community College (440-366-7827). Otherwise, please share this information with your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others. It is important that we learn and grow together.