Annotated Bibliography ED 845

							Annotated Bibliography:


1. A Nation At Risk (1983). Retrieved December 2, 2009, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html.


         A Nation At Risk was written in April 1983 by President Reagan. Its purpose was to inform the
American society on the nation’s educational status. It bolstered that all Americans, regardless of race, class,
or socioeconomic status are entitled to a fair change and to the tools for developing their individual powers of
mind and spirit to the utmost. Furthermore, the report promised that children by virtue of their own efforts,
competently guided, can hope to attain the mature and informed judgment needed to secure gainful
employment, and to manage their own lives, thereby serving not only their interests but also the progress of
society itself.



2. David, J. (2008). Small Learning Communities. Educational Leadership, 65(8).


        Retrieved December 2, 2009, from


        http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/may08/vol65/num08/Small_Learning_Communities.


         The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development contains a lot of pertinent information
on its website. This Small Learning Community article explains the definition and the description of small
learning communities. It also seeks to answer the question, is the size of a school associated with achievement
and dropout rates? Various studies were cited in the journal article as well. Several of the studies determined
that while there was a positive educational climate and a decrease in the dropout rate, there was no indication
that test scores were rising.




3. Felner, R., Seitsinger, A., Brand S., Burns, A., Bolton, N. (2007). Creating Small Learning Communities:

        Lessons from the Project on High-Performing Learning Communities About “What Works” in

        Creating Productive, Developmentally Enhancing, Learning Contexts. Educational Psychologist,

        42(4), 209-221. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ80900).


        Retrieved November 8, 2009, from ERIC database.


         Thirty years of work done by the Project on High Performing Learning Communities is analyzed in
this journal article. The importance of the creation of “small learning environments” on student motivation,
adjustment, and well-being is also noted. Determining how to implement the initiative in both middle and
secondary educational environments is also explored.
4. Health, D. (2005). Small Learning Communities 2000-2003. Online Submission.


        (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED492541). Retrieved November 8, 2009,


        from ERIC database.


        Debra Heath’s report on Small Learning Communities defines five crucial components for the success
of a small learning community. The purpose of the article was to report on the status of the federal grant that
the Albuquerque Public School District had received in the fall of 2000. The grant funded the small learning
community initiative within the school district. Its goal was to make APS’ large, anonymous schools feed
smaller and safer, and to make sure that every student received the personal support that would help her
succeed academically through graduation and beyond. The report also evaluates the current SLC program and
provides the data analysis for it.



5. Hyslop, A. (2009). A Closer Look at Programs of Study. Techniques: Connecting Education to Careers,


        84(3), 40-41. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ836345). Retrieved November 8,


        2009, from ERIC database.


        One of the key themes in the 2006 Perkins Act was strengthening the connections between secondary
and postsecondary education. The article explains the National Association of State Directors of Career
Technical Education curriculum and provides examples of where to best utilize it. This article takes a look at
programs of study and focuses on the new requirements for programs of study which provides career and
technical education with an opportunity for innovation and reform. According to the article, programs of study
must incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements; include academic and career and
technical content in a coordinated, non-duplicative progression of courses; and lead to an industry-recognized
credential or certificate at the postsecondary level, or an associate or bachelor’s degree.



6. Lee, M. & Friedrich, T. (2007). The ‘smaller’ the school, the better? The Small Learning


        Communities (SLC) program in US high schools. Improving Schools, 10(3), 261-282.


        Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://imp.sagepub.com.


         This article seeks to answer the question, the smaller the school, the better? The article also refers to
the widening achievement gap between the white students and the students of color in US schools. Small
Learning Communities have therefore emerged as a reform measure claimed to boost achievement in general
and among racial minorities. The article seeks to explore those claims by reviewing major policy documents
and literature.
7. Oxley, D. (2005) Small Learning Communities: Extending and Improving Practice.


        Personalized Learning. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from www.eric.ed.gov.


        The article provides to its readers the progression of terms used to describe a small learning
community. It also provides information from several educational reports, including Breaking Ranks II and the
National Middle School Association. Oxley concludes that small learning communities that have the most
success with their students are the ones that serve as the building blocks of school organization and the center
of school activities, not as add-ons to the existing school organization.



8. Quint, J. (2008). Lessons from Leading Models. Educational Leadership, 65(8), 64-68.


        (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ796367). Retrieved November 8, 2009,


        from Eric database.


        Janet Quint’s article provided research on three distinct high school reform strategies: Talent
Development, First Things First, and career academies. She highlighted each model and gave examples as to
how the models affected student outcomes. Furthermore, Quint focused on five key areas that helped low-
performing high schools such as creating a sense of belonging, helping freshmen with weak academic skills,
preparing students for postsecondary success, improving instruction, and stimulating lasting change.



9. Sammon, G. (2008). Creating and Sustaining Small Learning Communities: Strategies and Tools for


        Transforming High Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.


      Grace Sammon’s book gives the reader a step-by-step approach to implementing small learning
communities in their school district. It also provides history and research on the initiative. Excellent book!


10. Shakrani, S. (2008). A Big Idea: Smaller High Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service


        No. ED502129). Retrieved November 8, 2009, from ERIC database.


        Dr. Shakrani explains the impact of No Child Left Behind on the educational system in America today.
Furthermore, he claims that studies suggest that students in small public high schools perform better
academically, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, experience fewer behavior problems and participate
more frequently in extracurricular activities. According to the articles, additional studies show that students
who benefit the most from small school environments are those most in need, namely low-income students in
low-achieving high schools in large urban areas, where graduation rates and low attendance are major
problems. Dr. Shakrani also refers to a study performed by New York University’s Institute for Education and
Social Policy. The report confirms Dr. Shakrani’s findings.



11. Small Learning Communities. (2009). Retrieved on September 22, 2009, from


        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Learning_Community.


        This website explains types of small learning communities, examples of them, and external links that
provide more information about the initiative.




12. Smith, T. (2008). Striking the Balance: Career Academies Combine Academic Rigor and


        Workplace Relevance. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED502597).


        Retrieved November 8, 2009, from ERIC database.


         The purpose of this article is to report on the Career Academy as a type of small learning community.
According to the article, career academies are small learning communities established at the high school level
that use career strands as an organizing framework for learning and instruction, as well as for engaging the
interest and energies of students. The article also describes the common strands needed for a well-designed
career academy.



13. Supovitz, J. & Christman, A. (2005). Small Learning Communities that Actually Learn: Lessons for


        School Leaders. Phi Delta Kappa,n 86(9), 649. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.


        EJ712928). Retrieved November 8, 2009, from ERIC database.


         A study between two urban school districts, Philadelphia and Cincinnati is explored. The purpose of
the study was to determine if the key to widespread improvement in student learning through teacher
collaboration is the formation of communities of instructional practice that are focused on improving the
instructional core of schooling. The structures of the reforms were different, however the purposes were
similar. The article explores the data received from the study. Supovitz and Christman concluded that simply
creating a community structure is not enough to change practice significantly.