Small Schools as Multiple Pathways to College, Career, and Civic Participation: Can they Balance the Individual and Collective Aims of Schooling?
by Karen Quartz and Elliot Washor
UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, & Access
Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways Series
(University of California, Los Angeles)
Year 2007
Paper mp-rr009-0207
Abstract
When we try to improve schools, we are trying to improve society. In both pursuits we struggle to accommodate the competing interests and values that lie at the heart of our liberal democratic, capitalist society. In this paper, we analyze the enduring tension between individual freedom and civic virtue relative to the current reform movement to create new small high schools. The small schools movement and the “multiple pathways” agenda are closely related. Both advocate for a range of educational options that tie college-prep high school education to the broader enterprises of work, community, and civic life. We suggest that different small schools represent different pathways, each with their own local approach to rigorous and relevant education. The development of small schools as multiple pathways to college, career, and civic participation faces a number of challenges. We map out these challenges using three essential concepts from the small schools movement—personalization, educational fit, and school theme—that capture the struggle for both individual liberty and the common good. These challenges are contextualized using one student’s small school experience in Oakland, California and a variety of examples from small schools and career academies throughout the nation. We conclude that the “multiple pathways” agenda must proceed with caution and carefully attend to the dual aims of schooling.
