Beyond Changing Culture in Small High Schools: Reform Models and Changing Instruction With Project-Based Learning

Abstract

This study describes the status of small school reforms in U.S. high schools and contemplates their future. It asks how cultural and instructional reforms differ across school reform types. Analyses focus on indicators of teacher and student culture as well as instructional reforms including projectbased learning (PBL) and other inquiry-related practices. Findings are based on data from a national survey completed by 395 high school teachers who were responsible for and had used PBL in core academic subjects. Study participants taught in large, comprehensive high schools; in schools that had converted to small learning communities; and in newly created small school start-ups. Some of these small schools and conversions were based on a reform model, and others were not. Teachers in reform model schools reported the greatest number of cultural and instructional reforms, followed by teachers in other small schools. Reform models were particularly strong on instructional reforms and student culture. In general, start-up teachers reported more success implementing reforms than teachers in conversion schools, and teacher culture was reformed much more often than student culture and instruction. These findings help shed light on how widely practices and conditions have spread throughout the broader small schools movement, and which of these (including extensive PBL use) only seem to flourish in schools that subscribe to a holistic reform model. BEYOND CHANGING CULTURE IN SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS 291level, Viadreo (2009) argued that smaller schools can reap benefits simply as a result of teachers having smaller student loads and greater opportunity for one-on-one conversations. Key Concepts Progressive Reform ModelsFor purposes of this article, reform model schools are defined as schools that have organized themselves around a consistent school design model and that often affiliate with a central organization that supports the implementation of the reform models philosophy and practices and that form at least a minimal professional learning community across the network. Several model high school reform networks, including those in this study-New Tech High, High Tech High, EdVisions Schools, and Envision Schools-have set the pace for high school reform by establishing start-up and conversion schools based on their models. Other model-based networks that have a similar outlook but were not included in this study include Big Picture Schools network, which ). School reform models also have emerged as a result of legislation and funding for comprehensive school reform initiatives that are intended to change "all aspects of schooling" (Desimone, 2002). The goals of many (not all) of these school reform models and the rhetoric for small schools in general, are "progressive" in the sense that they generally work against a standardized, mechanical view of curriculum and lean toward one that promotes critical engagement, interactive meaning-making, and self-realization in the context of real-world experiences (e.g., Clinchy, 2003;Feinbe...

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“…It is often difficult to change student instruction during school reform without systematic subscription to the proposed reform (Ravitz, 2010). These factors themselves echo social interdependence theory (Johnson et al, 2010) as school reform requires: systematic structures of staff support, standardized resources and pedagogies promoting positive teacher interdependence, and teacher buy-in.…”

Assessing the Role of Online Technologies in Project-based Learning

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“…Schools affiliated with these reform networks benefit from having a central organization to help sustain the model's philosophy and practices. In addition to online technologies, they have structures that support multidisciplinary teaching, provide a repertoire of practices, and a supportive culture for teaching and learning (Ravitz, 2010).…”