Health issues are being more broadly addressed. Some students receive special education services in small, self-contained classes. Specific bilingual career and academic programs and English as a Second Language programs are implemented for students with limited English proficiency. Students identify with their house and with the counselors, teachers and other staff who also are committed to the particular house. Within the houses, house management and case conferencing are important way for staff to communicate to ensure that individual students receive the guidance and instructional support they need in order to be successful.
Houses provide a mechanism for large high schools to function as smaller and more personal places.
In some high schools, instructional approaches used in their houses are being revised to promote greater collaboration between teachers, and among students to achieve learning objectives. Their thrust is to involve families in the life of the school and all youngsters in community service with the understanding that learning is an on-going, lifelong process. Many of these schools have a primary focus on youngsters in the community where they are physically located. It is anticipated that, at maximum, these schools will house 500 to 700 students. New York City, with over 160 high schools and more than a quarter of a million students attending high school, offers programs and schools to meet a variety of interests, skills, needs and general preferences.