Reporting from the front lines of America"s most important education reform effort—the movement for small schools

The basic blueprint of American high schools hasn"t changed in a century, and we are paying a heavy price. Anonymous, enormous, and resistant
to change, huge American high schools are incapable of educating all children to high levels today, as dropout rates and remedial courses in
college make increasingly clear.

High Schools on a Human Scale shows the huge power of small schools, perhaps the nation"s fastest- growing reform idea. Tom Toch takes us
inside four very different small schools around the country—from an entrepreneur"s high-tech charter school in San Diego to a school formed
out the of the breakup of a huge public high school in Manhattan. All are small enough so that every student is known well by adults, and the results are remarkable. Together they show the proven virtues of small schools—safety, community, and high achievement.

This book is sponsored in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation"s $40 million effort to support small schools nationwide.

Thomas Toch is a widely respected education journalist, for many years at Education Week and U.S. News and World Report. He is currently writer-in-residence at the National Center on Education and the Economy, and lives near Washington, D.C.

Praise for High Schools on a Human Scale:

"Imagine a high school where every student knows every teacher and most
other students. Where security comes not from metal detectors but from
everyone's knowing who doesn't belong. Where community replaces bureaucracy and no one is lost in the crowd--because there is no crowd.
With his portraits of five small high schools that break the mold, Tom Toch makes an engaging and often provocative case for a less industrial, and more personal, brand of education."
--Jonathan Rauch, The Brookings Institution, author of Government's End: Why Washington Stopped Working

"Toch has written a compelling account of the promise and challenges of smaller more personalized schools. High Schools on a Human Scale is required reading for educators, policymakers, and anyone else seeking to modernize public education to better serve all students."
--Andrew Rotherham, Director, 21st Century Schools Project, Progressive Policy Institute

Reporting from the front lines of America"s most important education reform effort—the movement for small schools

The basic blueprint of American high schools hasn"t changed in a century, and we are paying a heavy price. Anonymous, enormous, and resistant
to change, huge American high schools are incapable of educating all children to high levels today, as dropout rates and remedial courses in
college make increasingly clear.

High Schools on a Human Scale shows the huge power of small schools, perhaps the nation"s fastest- growing reform idea. Tom Toch takes us
inside four very different small schools around the country—from an entrepreneur"s high-tech charter school in San Diego to a school formed
out the of the breakup of a huge public high school in Manhattan. All are small enough so that every student is known well by adults, and the results are remarkable. Together they show the proven virtues of small schools—safety, community, and high achievement.

This book is sponsored in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation"s $40 million effort to support small schools nationwide.

Thomas Toch is a widely respected education journalist, for many years at Education Week and U.S. News and World Report. He is currently writer-in-residence at the National Center on Education and the Economy, and lives near Washington, D.C.

Praise for High Schools on a Human Scale:

"Imagine a high school where every student knows every teacher and most
other students. Where security comes not from metal detectors but from
everyone's knowing who doesn't belong. Where community replaces bureaucracy and no one is lost in the crowd--because there is no crowd.
With his portraits of five small high schools that break the mold, Tom Toch makes an engaging and often provocative case for a less industrial, and more personal, brand of education."
--Jonathan Rauch, The Brookings Institution, author of Government's End: Why Washington Stopped Working

"Toch has written a compelling account of the promise and challenges of smaller more personalized schools. High Schools on a Human Scale is required reading for educators, policymakers, and anyone else seeking to modernize public education to better serve all students."
--Andrew Rotherham, Director, 21st Century Schools Project, Progressive Policy Institute

A volume in Research in Multicultural Education and International Perspectives Series Editors Farideh Salili and Rumjahn Hoosain, The University of Hong Kong Democratic political systems and the democratic way of life is aspired by most people around the world. Democracy is considered to be morally superior to other forms of political systems as it aspires to secure civil liberties, human rights, social justice and equality before the law for everyone regardless of their gender, culture, religion and national origin. Enshrined in democracy is separation of religion and state, fair and competitive elections of leaders according to a country's constitution which in turn is based on democratic ideals. Democracy aspires for people of different backgrounds to live together with their differences intact, but all contributing towards a better life for all. In today's increasingly pluralistic societies many people of different cultural and national backgrounds are brought together. Many have migrated from countries with autocratic political systems. Some with religions that require them to behave in different way, others with cultures teaching them values of harmony, collectivism and conformity as opposed to the culture of their host country emphasizing individualism and cherishing differences. Hence, in multicultural societies development of pluralistic democracy, a democracy which includes respect for diversity is essential. A truly multicultural education which is based on the assumption that different cultures will be equally represented in education goes a long way towards education for democratic citizenship. Such an education would make students aware of issues of human rights and justice and encourage them to define their own values and ways in which they could contribute to a better world. The aim of this volume is to provide a forum for discussion of how multiple social perspectives and personal values can be brought together on common grounds around matters related to democracy. Contributions from research, and scholarly theoretical work as well as presentation of existing creative models of democracy education will be included. Authors from the major democracies will comment on the models and practice of multicultural education in their respective countries, to facilitate discussion and learning from each others' experiences.

This collection originated in, and is, an interdisciplinary dialogue. The subject of conversation is the social sciences in the twentieth century and the role of large-scale philanthropy, using Rockefeller philanthropy in particular as a case study. The intention is to draw a much needed integration of historical, theoretical, and philosophical perspectives on the development of modern knowledge systems and their mentors. The dialogue builds on the work of earlier historians and philosophers of science as well as pioneers in the study of philanthropy. Earlier descriptive studies have given way in the past 20 years to the more analytic stance taken by the authors represented in this volume.

Using many examples drawn from classroom practice, this guide supports and aims to extend the student teacher's own subject knowledge and understanding of science in the context of the primary classroom. It offers an accessible guide to all the main concepts of Key Stages one and two science teaching. Illustrating the importance of issues such as resourcing and assessing science in the primary classroom, the book offers guidance for practising teachers who consider themselves "non-specialists" in science.