A major reason for creating a new small school is to create a culture of high personalization, and then take advantage its benefits.
Advisories are integral to the design and operation of most new small schools.
While they may be the most challenging part of a staff member's work, they are often seen as the most valuable. The advisory provides a regular time for an adult to pay attention to a kid's whole life. It is a commitment to personalization, to learning about individual kids and their needs, and to making ongoing connections to families. It provides the mechanism for every parent to be in contact with an adult in the school before there is a problem. It's not homeroom, which is about organizational needs.