Smaller is Superior for Carlsbad Schools

By Josephine E. Lewis

Article was published in the North County Times on April 11, 2006

In summary, the board's argument is as follows: A high school educating 3,200-plus students can offer more courses to its students and therefore has more "depth of programs" than a school of, say, 1,800 students. This may appeal to your common sense, but research proves that it is flawed in three ways:

1. Once a school is large (generally defined as 1,000-plus students), there is little correlation between any increase in student population and depth of programs.

2. The increased programs supposedly offered by large schools do not generally consist of higher-level courses.

3. Board members state that student "participation" in sports, band and other extracurricular activities increases as student population increases.

They further state that these activities are all-inclusive. The child who is fourth-string on the water polo team or in a similar position on any other team is not "participating" as parents consider the term.

Research overwhelmingly affirms the superiority of small schools in academic achievement. Grades, test scores, honor roll enrollment, subject-area achievement, assessment of higher-order thinking skills and years of attained education after high school are all equal or superior in smaller schools. A high school of more than 2,000 students makes maximization of student achievement a great challenge. Smaller is superior.

A large school's "depth of curriculum" generally consists of electives in non-core areas of study. Many additional courses are vocational in nature. If you want your children to increase their studies in math, foreign language or history, you don't need a school larger then 800 to 1,000 students to access such courses. In addition, research shows that just because a school offers the additional classes, only a minute percentage of students in large schools actually take advantage of them. Smaller is superior.

The more a student is involved in extracurricular activities, the higher chance of success that student has. Large schools may offer lots of extracurricular programs, but only the best will be able to compete and participate.

"Participating" means playing, acting or otherwise competing. It does not mean dressing for the part and sitting on the sidelines, in the wings or in the audience. The supportive role as a member of the team or club is not the same as being an active participant in the activity. The quality of a student's participation is important, not the quantity of students who "participate." Smaller is superior.

Research strongly supports operating two comprehensive high schools in Carlsbad. Certainly, that would be ideal and should be the goal. Since it is not, the Board of Trustees should do everything in its power to reduce the size of the two proposed schools so that both are of a size that maximizes students' academic and social achievement. Smaller is superior.