It seems that small school size mitigates the negative effects of poverty for students and helps their achievement. A small school is like an antidote. Small schools seem to make up for some of the struggles inherent in impoverished communities, such as violence, isolation, and abuse. In these schools, students have the opportunity to bond with teachers and participate in school groups. If students don't feel safe at home or in their communities, they are likely to in a small school, Howley says.
People know each other and call on each other for help.
The Annenberg Rural Challenge in Granby, Colorado, part of a national nonprofit organization that works to tie together rural schools and their communities, has found Howley's study so insightful that the organization is supporting its expansion into Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and Montana. Howley and research partner Robert Bickel, a senior faculty member at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, now are crunching numbers to see how the small school theory fares in these states. Already, Howley is finding similar results in Ohio, where small schools are located mainly in rural areas. Teachers know parents' first names. They know who's missing from class without taking roll.