In general, those who emphasize the importance of the school as a community tend to set enrollment limits lower than do those who emphasize academic effectiveness, at least as measured by test scores. Other policy issues discussed in the small schools literature include governance and costs. Another policy issue pertains to equity, both among schools and among students. A recent study of New York's famed District 4 credited the small schools there with having raised achievement levels throughout, not just in the small schools. But when examined on the basis of the number of students they graduate, they are less expensive than either medium-sized or large high schools.
Lists differ, though common themes are clearly discernible.
Other in-depth studies of individual small schools are being published to display specific features and attributes. In some cities, small schools have also come to be associated with a powerful form of accountability, as large failing schools are phased out and replaced by several separate and independent small schools. As this sampling attests, smallness has been interwoven with many of today's reform themes, and with other features and conditions currently recommended for schools. Interest in and examination of small schools appear to be thriving. Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform.