Does Size Matter

Hi Inner Circle Member:

I am in shock right now. The owners of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team fired the General Manager, Rick Nonis on Monday. The good news is that the owners are not satisfied with a boring team that did not make the playoffs. The bad news is that who knows which direction the team will take. Oh well…

Since I was not indoors watching hockey, I tackled our lawn last weekend. You may know I live in Vancouver, the land of rain forests and lichen. I took it upon myself to stop growing moss and try to encourage grass to actually grow in my yard. We back onto a water way where the ducks come and go. Well, once they saw me throwing grass seed on my yard, I think half the migratory path of North America’s duck population transcended upon my back yard. Now it is too dangerous to walk bare foot back there. ;-)

Today in my eNewsletter I am going to talk about how size and location of your new school impacts learning. I read an article today in the Vancouver Sun by Geoff Johnson that examines the shift in how teachers help students learn and the optimal environment for students to learn in. Interestingly, if you read the third news story I included in Section 2, you will read about how Detroit school district is restructuring their failing urban mega schools into smaller schools, where students learn more effectively.

Enjoy the eNewsletter,

Doug Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

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In This Issue

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1. In The News

2. Services Your School Needs

3. Does Size Matter?

4. Products To Invest In To Start And Lead Your School

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1. In The News

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World's Only Boarding School for Weight Loss Names New EXECUTIVE...

PR Web (press release) - Ferndale, WA, USA

Wellspring Academy in California is a year-round boarding school for weight loss serving hundreds of teens and young adults ages 12 to 24 from around the ...

Enrollment of children in Texas state schools surging

Dallas Morning News - Dallas, TX, USA

But advocates for independent living say these kids aren't moving out as fast as they're moving in – the result of a lack of options and funding for...

District to reboot 5 failing schools

Detroit Free Press - United States

The high school campuses -- Osborn, Henry Ford and Cody, as well as the Cody ninth grade academy -- will each be split into three to four new, independent...

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2. Services Your School Needs

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>>> (B) Strategic Planning

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Do you want your school or non-profit to have better leadership? If so, my full-day governance workshop and online survey helps your trustees to fine-tune their performance and refocus their mandate. Please email me at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at 604-868-0002 to find out more about how we can help you. Click on the following link to download my brochure

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3. Does Size Matter?

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Does size and design of a school matter? In Geoff Johnson’s article in the Vancouver Sun he refers to a study conducted by the Regina School Board, which reviewed 59 other studies on school size and makes the following conclusions about optimum school size:

1). For Elementary Schools the optimal size is:

- 300 in areas serving disadvantaged populations

- 500 for areas serving a more diverse population

2). For Secondary Schools the optimal size is:

- 600 in areas serving disadvantaged populations

- 1000 for areas serving a more diverse population

Bigger definitely is not better. There has to be a balance in school size to allow more a personalized educational experience and yet still big enough to offer an array of programs. In addition, the article on Detroit schools states that “national studies show that students perform better in smaller, more personalized settings." It goes on to say, "Today's large, impersonal high schools were designed for a different era and a different economy and are leaving far too many young people behind…Smaller high schools like those just proposed by both the Detroit and Lansing Public School districts have been shown to keep more students engaged, interested and attending school."

So size does matter, but what about the design of the school? Most traditional classrooms of 80 square meters are based on the old model of desks in rows facing the blackboard with the teacher at the front disseminating information. However, that role is changing. Teachers do not have all the information, and students need a facilitator who can guide them in understanding information and concepts.

I have visited a lot of new schools and have noted a few patterns:

• Wireless technology is available as a tool to enhance learning, allowing meaningful integration of technology into the curricula (e.g., whiteboards, laptops)
• Students want areas to socialize
• Learning happens as a activity to apply learning, rather than one-sided process of teachers disseminating information
• There is a stress on learning and self-discovery through doing (action), teamwork, reflection, character growth, and literacy.

We need to make sure to use research and best practices to develop schools to increase student achievement.

I would like you to share your comments on best practices and design from your schools that have improved student success

If you would like to comment on this eNewsletter story please enter your comments below.

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4. Products To Invest In To Start And Lead Your School

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.

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P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit. Here is the link:

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