Dear Mike and Susan, I definitely hope the Listserv continues into year 11 and beyond, and as one who always intends to send in a check for support, but has yet to do so, let me pledge right now that I will do so for year 11. I rely on the Listserv for the best information about small school issues across the country. I subscribed to a number of other Listservs but don't find that they cover the small schools issues well enough, so I hope that you can continue the effort.
I do not often respond to postings, and I suspect others on the list think about doing so, as I do, but for a variety of reasons--time being a big factor--do not. Nevertheless, I gain many insights from those who do post regularly, e.g. Joe, Steve, yourselves. So selfishly I would hate to lose that opportunity. I enjoy both the general postings and the targeted discussions. These targeted discussions may be slow to develop but they are always valuable. They seem to peter out and new topics are introduced and then it seems that time to respond has past. Perhaps there is a way of keeping them going over time without precluding the introduction of new topics. In terms of future topics for more in depth discussion, I think it would be useful to get input into why the movement has stalled, how to improve teaching in small schools, what work needs to be done at the district, state and federal level to revive interest and confidence in small schools, and what are the key stumbling blocks to sustaining small schools. For example, here in Washington State, almost all efforts, save a few, to convert large high schools into smaller ones have failed, and most districts/schools that tried it have now reverted to big high schools. I know all of these topics have been subject to listserv conversations in the past, but if we are going to work toward the future, they need to be revisited.
There seem to be three types of communications that dominate the Listserv: (1) news articles and items of interest; (2) questions from teachers, parents, etc. about how to start a small school or about particular implementation questions such as scheduling, curricula, etc.; and (3) questions/topics of policy, strategy, teaching and learning, etc. that try to engage readers in dialog. All three are useful. What is sometimes frustrating, I am sure to you as well as to readers, is the fact that these last efforts get started, there are a few contributors, and then the topic peters out. When you facilitate the discussion by adding commentary on postings, the conversations seem to go on longer. So prompting responses by summarizing the gist of the conversation and then posing related questions might keep things going.
One other thought, if the "movement" is to continue then there needs to be a place for analysis and discussion of where we are, what has happened, what issues need to be addressed to revive and sustain it. Are conversions really the way to go? Should the focus be on urban districts with large concentrations of low-income students? What have we learned, etc.? I think the Listserv can be a place for such conversations, but as mentioned above, they probably need a facilitator to focus and keep the threads of conversation going over time. There is so much knowledge and experience to draw from on the list, we need a forum to share insights and ideas. I'm anxious to hear what others think and hope we can have an on-going discussion about the future. Thanks, Trish
Folks,
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Smallschools Listserv this
October, it's time to step back and take stock (maybe a bad choice of
words these days). Things sure have changed from a decade ago. The other
day, I asked for some assessments of the current small schools movement
(post Gates). So far, a few people have responded. Thank you for those.
More have written me offline and are working on post-worthy responses.
But now, I'd also like to ask for suggestions on how to make the
Listserv more relevant to your needs as an educator, parent, community
member, school activist, in light of the changing environment. Do we
need to continue the listserv into year 11 and beyond. Who else needs to
be brought into the ongoing discussion and how can we bring them in?
What about discussion topics? What do we need to change in our format?
Here at the Small Schools Workshop, we continue to discuss, assess the
new conditions with a whole new generation of teachers. But your input
as Listserv members is vitally important in shaping that discussion.
Mike Klonsky
P.S.
Look for some changes and important announcements in the months ahead.
Having problems with message search?
Send Email
