RE: Question 3: School Districts-What's in the Plan

Fred: You assume that unification will result in a higher performance by the school district. Is there any research to validate the assumption? I have looked for such research and have not found any validation that unification results in better educational outcomes or a greater community involvement in schools. 

Most of my discussions on unification have been where small elementary school districts want to ensure that their students are not lost in large high school districts. The research is clear that many large high schools are an educational disaster area with high drop-out rates and a depersonnalized atmosphere. The idea of unification is usually hand in glove with bigger schools, particularily at the high school level.   

The concept of consolidation/unification/reorganization is ripe for serious reasearch. Making decisions without that research base could result in the next generation of school children paying a price for our unwillingness to subject our theories to such reaearch and analysis.

I do not oppose a thorough research based analysis on the most appropriate size ranges for a school and a school district. I do object to asserting positive outcomes not based on research and in fact contrary to research. The initial reported research is that small schools and small school districts have better education results that do large schools and large school districts, when equal rates of poverty and other demographic factors are included in the analysis.

The Master Plan is an opportunity to rethink not restate conventional wisdoms.

Dave Walrath