Smaller learning communities (SLC) program: a case study of educator perceptions.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20237099

Public education in the United States struggles to prepare all students for success in post-secondary education and careers. One reason attributed to dropouts, student-disconnect, and low levels of achievement is that too many students attend large, impersonal schools where they are not engaged in learning. Many policy makers view the reconstruction of high schools through the creation of Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs) as a step toward personalizing education and establishing the right conditions for enhanced student achievement. The purpose of this case study was to investigate which aspects of the high school SLC program educators deemed critical and how SLC practices can be improved. This qualitative descriptive single-case study was designed to analyze teacher, counselor and administrator perceptions around SLC practices in a large suburban southeastern New England school district. Data was obtained through historical quantitative analysis, document analysis and a semi-structured focus group interview. The research was guided by Coleman's (1988) theoretical concept of social capital with three primary questions: In what ways did high school attendance, suspension, retention, graduation, drop-out, post high school plan rates and state testing data change from 2004 to 2012 for the school district under study? How have changes to existing practices been implemented since the inception of the SLC program? How did educators perceive the effectiveness of the SLC program?