As I have said on previous occasions we are now building schools the size of shopping malls and I do not think this is very wise. We have high schools in this nation with 5,000 and 6,000 students. We even have an elementary school in this country with over 5,000 children. But big is not always better when it comes to the education of our children. Almost all the research we have available to us now suggests that we schools should be no bigger than 600 students.
Every young person needs to feel a sense of connection when they go to school.
And building smaller may also be the only choice for school systems in large urban areas like Los Angeles and New York City that simply do have large tracts of real estate available to them. Building smaller schools also has important implications for how residents of neighborhoods see themselves. As true neighbors and part of a community or as isolated strangers each going there own way. Let me conclude by summarizing my thoughts. As architects you have three immediate and rather unique opportunities to influence and improve American education.