American Architectural Foundation
The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) works to educate the public about the power of architecture to improve the lives of individuals and of communities. AAF's Great Schools By Design national initiative seeks to engage stakeholders (superintendents, architects, facilities planners, teachers, students, and community members) in order to create schools that both support student achievement and serve as centers of community. Architects of Achievement's Victoria Bergsagel participated in the initiative's first National Summit on School Design in October 2005.
http://www.archfoundation.org/aaf/gsbd/Events.Summit.htm
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University promotes and
advocates the serious redesign of American schooling, especially in urban
communities and in schools serving underserved children. This site provides
research, publications, and videos related to school standards and accountability,
professional development, and public engagement.
http://www.annenberginstitute.org
Big Picture Company
The Big Picture Company "design(s) break-through public schools, research
and replicate new designs for education, train(s) educators to serve as leaders
in their schools and communities, and actively engage(s) the public as participants
and decision makers in the education of our youth." The One Building
at a Time area of their website to read more about the philosophy and
design principles that support their work.
http://bigpicture.org
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focuses its education investments
in
two primary areas: creating more small high schools and reducing financial
barriers to higher education. The foundation is helping large, troubled high
schools transform themselves into smaller, more personalized learning environments,
while at the same time funding the replication of successful small-school
models.
http://gatesfoundation.org/education/
California School Redesign Network
The California School Redesign Network, located at Stanford University, provides
resources to support the creation of successful small schools. This site includes
in-depth information on Linda Darling-Hammond’s Ten Features of Effective
Schools, as well as offering tools, processes and video resources to inform
and assist in school improvement efforts.
http://www.schoolredesign.net
Carnegie Corporation of New York
The Carnegie Corporation of New York has joined with the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to commit $60 million to Schools for a New Society, a five-year
initiative to reinvigorate efforts to improve 85 comprehensive high schools
in seven cities - Boston, Chattanooga, Houston, Providence, Sacramento, San
Diego, and Worcester. In each city, there are broad-based school-community
partnerships that include school, community, university, philanthropic, and
business leaders.
http://www.carnegie.org
Center for Collaborative Education
The mission of the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) is to improve
student learning in K-12 public schools and districts by promoting educational
reform focused on school and system-wide change. CCE provides coaching, professional
development, advocacy, and research in order to be a
resource and catalyst toward the creation of small autonomous, democratic,
equitable schools.
http://www.ccebos.org
Center on Reinventing Public Education
Seeking to impact policy and decision making in K-12 education, the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) conducts research, produces tools and guides, and develops new ideas and models on emerging educational issues. CRPE's Doing Choice Right project explores the challenges that face communities considering a choice system and offers models to address them.
http://www.crpe.org/hot/introDSCR.shtml
Coalition of Essential Schools
The Coalition is a network of schools that aim to increase student achievement
by supporting redesign of curriculum, instruction and assessment. This site
will connect you with regional centers, Essential Schools around the country
and their best practices for the classroom and school structure. Check out
the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools to learn about the Oakland Small
School Initiative, including the Incubator for New Small Schools.
http://www.essentialschools.org
Colorado Small Schools Initiative
This initiative supports the creation of personalized, high achieving high
schools in Colorado. Directed by the Colorado Children's Campaign, this organization
supports the transformation of low performing large comprehensive high schools
into small autonomous schools, as well as the creation of new, small autonomous
high schools that are either district-supported or charter schools.
http://www.coloradosmallschools.org/
The Forum for Youth Investment
A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, The Forum is dedicated to helping communities and the nation ensure that all young people are ready for work, college, and life. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support, and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org
Jobs for the Future
A non-profit research, consulting, and advocacy organization that believes
that all young people should have a quality high school and postsecondary
education, and that all adults should have the skills needed to hold jobs
that pay enough to support a family. This website offers reports,
resources and tools on high school redesign and how to create powerful effective
learning environments inside and outside the school building,
school day and school year.
http://www.jff.org/
KnowledgeWorks Foundation
The largest educational philanthropy in the state of Ohio, this organization
provides funding and leadership for education initiatives throughout Ohio
and is working to create partnerships that will produce measurably better
educational results throughout the state. Their website shares information
on educational reform, community engagement and facilities design.
http://www.kwfdn.org/
National School Reform Faculty
This professional development initiative is focused on increased student achievement
through developing collegial relationships, encouraging reflective practice,
and rethinking leadership in restructuring schools. A major component of NSRF
is the Critical Friends Group. More than 5,000 educators across the country
are currently active in the NSRF network.
http://www.harmonyschool.org/nsrf/default.html
New Visions for Public Schools
As the largest education reform organization dedicated to improving the quality
of education in New York City's public schools, New Visions works with schools,
parents, community groups, and civic leaders from the public and private sectors
to create and sustain theme-oriented, small learning communities that have
high attendance, retention and graduation rates.
http://www.newvisions.org/
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
One of 10 regional educational laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) provides research-based resources to educators, policymakers, and community members in seven midwestern states. One such tool are its Viewpoints multimedia packages which contain audio CDs and accompanying text. Small By Design: Resizing America's High Schools (Viewpoints Vol. 7) provides a variety of perspectives from national experts involved in small school development; its various tools are created for those involved in or considering a small school design project.
http://www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/html/smbydes/
Rural and Community Trust
This national nonprofit organization addresses the crucial relationship between
good schools and thriving rural communities. Working in some of the poorest,
most challenging rural places, the Rural Trust involves young people in learning
linked to their communities, improves the quality of teaching and school leadership,
advocates for appropriate state educational policies, and addresses the critical
issue of funding for rural schools.
http://www.ruraledu.org/
Smaller Learning Communities Program
This competitive federal grant program was developed to help large high schools
create smaller, more personalized, learning communities. The grants help high
schools with 1,000 or more students plan, develop, and implement strategies
that personalize the learning environment for students.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/slcp/applicant.html
Small Schools Project
The University of Washington Small Schools Project provides a range of services
that includes operating a coaches’ collaborative to provide technical
assistance during the design and implementation phases of reform efforts,
creating web-based materials and tools, convening conferences for small schools
leaders, teachers and community members, publishing newsletters and reports
focused on small schools, and working with charter school partners in collaboration
with the Northwest Schools Incubator located at the Center for Reinventing
Public Education. Architects of Achievement partners with the Project to help
schools deal with the space and programming issues associated with developing
good small schools.
http://smallschoolsproject.org
Small Schools Workshop
The Workshop provides guidance and professional development to public schools
and school districts engaged in restructuring and whole school improvement.
This web site includes "8 Steps to Creating a Small School"
as well as research materials, book recommendations, and articles related
to small schools. Small Schools Workshop Northwest was founded in October
2000 at Lewis and Clark College to support the growing small schools movement
in the Northwest.
http://www.smallschoolsworkshop.org
Sound Out
SoundOut.org is an online resource center designed to promote meaningful student involvement in school change. It provides a variety of tools for students and educators to create inclusive, constructive, and effective opportunities for students to learn from and participate in school change activities.
http://www.soundout.org
What Kids Can Do
Based in Providence, Rhode Island, this non-profit organization captures the extraordinary work and voices of ordinary students from around the country. The organization is at the intersection of the education reform and youth development fields, documenting and analyzing the best work from both fields as examples of “powerful learning with public purpose.” Student Learning in Small Schools: An Online Portfolio captures student learning in four small schools including an overview of each school, a day in the life, student and mentor interviews, student work samples, and school forms and reports. http://www.whatkidscando.org
Areas of Service | Real-world
Examples
Smalls Schools Thinking | Small
Schools Resources
All learning begins when our comfortable
ideas turn out to be inadequate. — John Dewey
© 2003-2006 Architects of Achievement, all rights reserved.
This website was designed and developed through the
generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
