After all, we all identify in one way or another with our local surroundings. Moreover, the evidence that community and proximity are assets to be nurtured is fast becoming conclusive. Yet policymakers at every level continue to act as if locally scaled, community-based systems are a hangover from an inefficient and primitive yesteryear. As Stacy Mitchell points out in our cover story, even as the one-room schoolhouses disappear and school districts continue to consolidate, the empirical evidence is screaming for us to reverse direction. Small schools better serve teachers, students, parents and communities.
Attendance goes up.
Small schools may cost a bit more per student taught, but they actually cost less per student graduated. The issue of community has always been important in agricultural areas. The USDA's action sparked massive public disapproval and in May 1998 it was withdrawn. Earlier this year the USDA issued a new definition, which represents a major step in the right direction. But as Brian Levy points out in these pages, the new standards raise another question.