According to a recent MDRC study, small non-selective high schools are graduating more students than their larger counterparts.  From the study’s overview, here is a brief rundown of the findings:

• By the end of their first year of high school, 58.5 percent of SSC enrollees are on track to graduate in four years compared with 48.5 percent of their non-SSC counterparts, for a difference of 10.0 percentage points. These positive effects are sustained over the next two years.
• By the fourth year of high school, SSCs increase overall graduation rates by 6.8 percentage points, which is roughly one-third the size of the gap in graduation rates between white students and students of color in New York City.
• SSCs’ positive effects are seen for a broad range of students, including male high school students of color, whose educational prospects have been historically difficult to improve.

However, Clara Hempbell of the New School’s blah blah blah wonders whether the “collateral damage” caused by opening these small schools outweighs the possible benefits.  “As the large dysfunctional schools were closed, thousands of students were diverted to remaining large schools.”  With the increase in enrollment came a decrease in attendance and graduation rates.

Follow this story in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the Houston Chronicle.

Tags: education, New York City schools, news article

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