At Sacramento High School, freshmen used to be something of an endangered species. Like small fish swimming in a large bowl, they frequently got lost amid the huge number of students. Sometimes no one even noticed they were sinking - instead of swimming - until it was too late.
This year it's different. Freshmen are being assigned to small learning communities of 100 students, called "freshman houses." Each unit shares a core group of teachers for two years. The plan is designed to give new students a sense of belonging and help them build relationships with teachers and each other. The hope is that these bonds will keep them in school until graduation.
Wei Hu (center) discusses a math problem with students Andrew Lopez and Alan Blount in the AVID/MESA Academy at Sacramento High School.
The restructuring of Sacramento High School, which already has "schools within the school" for upper grades, reflects a nationwide trend toward downsizing "megaschools" into smaller learning communities as a way to fight poor student achievement, alienation and violence.
Many experts agree that large high schools are incapable of providing all students - especially minorities and those coming from low socioeconomic areas - with personalized attention and a sense of belonging that is vital to their academic success.
However, instead of replacing large schools with smaller ones and demolishing facilities, districts are finding flexibility in the "schools within a school" concept: The smaller "schools" can share administrative costs and be considered a single entity for such costly programs as band and athletics, while still offering a small-school environment to students.
The state doesn't keep statistics for individual programs, but a California Department of Education (CDE) consultant estimates that the total number of small high school learning communities, including those not funded by the state, is about 500, up from 45 in 1992. She says the number is growing because programs are "showing positive results with increased student attendance and graduation rates."
The CDE also provides funds for California Partnership Academies, which have a career focus, a team of teachers and active business involvement. This year the state spent $22 million on 290 partnership academies for grades 10-12.
Research shows that revamping "megaschools" into smaller environments can deliver many of the same benefits as small campuses, such as boosting achievement and morale. However, according to a recent report from the University of Minnesota, such efforts are only successful when the "schools within schools" are distinct learning groups and not just separate houses.
Teachers Geoff Melchor, Nancy Reclusado (middle) and Beate Martinez (bottom) extol the virtues of small learning communities at Sacramento High School.
Some educators fear that "schools within schools" can lead to tracking, despite the goal of most to provide rigorous academics for all students. For this reason, the CDE does not fund partnership academies for freshmen, and allows students to switch academies if they so choose.
Teachers and students involved in small learning communities say the benefits outweigh the problems. They have experienced the positive results firsthand.
"Our kids in smaller learning communities usually perform better," says Nancy Lorenzen, a teacher at Independence High School in San Jose, where many of the 4,000 students are divided up into units called "villas," magnets and academies.
"Being in a big school like this is like being in a small city; we have all the social problems a small city would have. Generally, our magnet kids do better than kids as a whole. I think it cuts down on violence and absenteeism, to some extent."
"Even if these kids don't want to be astronauts, there is a theme to what we're doing, and it gives them direction," says Lorenzen, a member of the East Side Teachers Association who teaches at the school's Space, Science and Technology Magnet. "A high proportion of students go on to college and study computers and engineering. We try to keep our learning communities limited to 300 students, so we don't lose that small feeling. We don't want them to get too large, because we want students to feel like they are in a family."
For Judy Pham, a senior in the school's Space Magnet, being in a small learning community gave her a sense of belonging she doubts she would have had otherwise.
"When I first came to this big school, it was really weird," she recalls. "I was like 'Whoa,' because I came from a small middle school, and there were so many students here. I didn't feel like I was wanted or like I belonged.
"But the magnet grouped us with certain teachers and students. We became friends. I felt more involved, and started to like the school."
"My teachers pay attention to my grades," she adds. "They tell me to do better. Everyone cares about you. It really is like a family."
At Sacramento High School, the freshman houses were formed because the school was losing a lot of freshmen between ninth and 10th grade, says German and Spanish teacher Beate Martinez, who helped plan the new program.
"We had a high dropout rate and a high failure rate, especially among freshmen. They were coming from a small middle school environment into a large, urban school, and they felt pretty lost. It was easy for them to fall through the cracks."
"Our dropout rate from freshman to senior year was 40 percent," adds Martinez, a member of the Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA). The high rate of freshman absenteeism was also a problem, as was the fact that more than 50 percent of the freshmen were reportedly earning at least some D's and F's.
Teachers hope the learning communities there will not only keep students in school and boost their performance, but will also serve as a deterrent to gang affiliation. After all, students who feel disconnected at school may find a sense of belonging elsewhere.
"Schools within a school" were already in place for upperclassmen at Sacramento High School. One program - the MESA/AVID Academy, which provides Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement/Advancement Via Individual Determination - is designed to prepare students for college. Other programs include the Visual and Performing Arts Community (VPAC); the Sports and Fitness Academy; the Health Academy; and the Government and Law Academy.
Academies are intended to foster a sense of belonging, give students a focus and help them develop a sense of educational relevancy. Students take classes that meet state standards, but also reflect areas of interest. For example, students in the Health Academy meet all science requirements, but their science classes focus more on the human body, and they may write about health care issues in English classes. They also receive college credit for taking CPR and medical terminology classes.
"We have already seen success in our academies," says Nancy Reclusado, an SCTA member who directs the Health Academy. "During the past four years my kids have been extremely successful. There is almost perfect attendance, and we have a 100 percent graduation rate. Nearly all of our students go on to college.
"I think small learning communities work because the students have similar interests, and they see the relevancy of schoolwork to careers they are interested in. They volunteer, job shadow and serve as interns. They also get lots of extra attention so they don't get lost."
"Being in the Health Academy is helpful because I am studying things I am interested in," says Alma Duran, 17. "I have job shadowed at hospitals and heard guest speakers. As a group, we really help each other and feel a sense of belonging. I think that if I wasn't in the academy, I'd probably be getting bad grades."
Presently, fewer than half of students in grades 10-12 belong to academies.
A small percentage of freshmen are enrolled in some of the academies, especially MESA/AVID. Those in the freshman houses are considered to be "pre-academy" and may take a few academy elective courses. The goal is that within a year or two, all of this year's freshmen will be enrolled in academies.
Eventually, other Sacramento schools will follow suit with special freshman houses, under a school reform plan called E21. The district received a $250,000 planning grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and has applied for an $8 million implementation grant to carry out the plan.
"In small learning academies, students know they can't get away with anything," says Wei Hu, a math teacher and advisor for the MESA/AVID Academy. "Teachers really get to know the students. We make sure we talk to other teachers of the same students, so we can monitor their academic progress and compare notes. When a student is not doing well in classes, teachers meet and try to find out why. Sometimes a core teacher will see that something's going on at home and have a meeting with parents."
When students know their teachers are collectively keeping track of them, they behave better, says Hu. "They have good attendance, tend not to drop out and take school seriously."
"I know now that I have to be careful," says freshman Natasha Savoy. She was surprised when she learned that some of her teachers had held a meeting at which they discussed concerns that she was falling behind in her work. "You can't slack off here," she learned. "You have to stay on task."
When Geoff Melchor, who teaches English in the MESA/AVID Academy, attended Sacramento High School in the '80s, he did not have the benefit of a small learning community. "It was a big, scary place at first," he recalls. "It was huge, and I didn't know where anything was. I felt like I didn't know anybody.
"It shouldn't have to be that way."
Now, thanks to the freshman program, he says, "I can see students bonding in my classes after just a few weeks. Even on the third day of school, there was less reluctance to speak up in class."
After just a few weeks, freshman Michael Gutierrez says he feels a sense of belonging at the MESA/AVID Academy. "I feel more comfortable in my classes, because I have gotten to know people. We help each other and also socialize."
Freshman Savoy agrees. "Usually, when I'm in a big class, I'm scared to raise my hand. But in a small class, when you know everyone, it's not so scary.
Wei Hu (center) discusses a math problem with students Andrew Lopez and Alan Blount in the AVID/MESA Academy at Sacramento High School.
Teachers Geoff Melchor, Nancy Reclusado (middle) and Beate Martinez (bottom) extol the virtues of small learning communities at Sacramento High School.
