When it comes to schools, there is
ample evidence that “smaller is
better”. But smallness is not a virtue
unto itself. It is a means to an end,
and the end is to have each student
feel that he or she is part of an
intimate community where (to
borrow a line from the popular TV
show “Cheers”,) “everybody knows
your name”. That means it is not
enough to simply break up a large
school into “houses” or “pods” for
the purpose of creating smallness.
Students need to identify clearly with
their smaller community and feel a
sense of belonging, common purpose
and loyalty to the smaller unit.
As to how big this unit should be,
there are various theories. Some
insist that the small learning
community should be no larger than
100 students, yet others say that it
can work well up to 150 students.
However, there is general agreement
that the smaller this unit, the more
likely it is to provide the sense of
security and belonging that students