Staff members are aware of their shares outlook on teaching. A substantial body of research, including studies done by the Consortium, confirms that elementary schools with enrollments under 350 hold distinct advantages. They are easier to manage, which fosters higher program quality, better discipline and more engaged students. Small faculties are better acquainted, conflicts are fewer, and cooperation is greater, leading to greater commitment and higher morale. Earhart's small size makes for good communication.
Some conversations are formal, as during summer planning sessions.
Squeezed together around a table in the faculty lunchroom, teachers brainstorm themes for projects, discuss students with learning difficulties and get advice. Teachers also share high expectations for students, who are expected to work above grade level, and a personal interest in students' well being, Earhart parents observe. Teachers' attitudes seem to rub off on students, notes Sharon Pryor, mother of a 5th-grader. A 1996 Consortium study found that students were most engaged with learning at schools where teachers combined caring with academic rigor. Neither personal attention nor a strong academic program alone had much impact on students' effort and interest in school work.