| Voices of Reform archive |

Speeches, interviews, and quotes from some of the many people whose ideas shape the school reform movement. 

"Today, the American dream is being shattered for so many kids because their schools are so big and so highly tracked. It really is the civil rights issue of the 21st century." - Michael Klonsky, director of the Small Schools Workshop, June 10 U.S. News and World Report

Letter to the Small Schools Workshop from Daniel, a student in a small school in Los Altos, California. [12/28/00]

Researcher ties 'social toxicity' to violence among youths. Cornell University psychologist James Garbarino has studied the effects of violence on children for 30 years. His findings and solutions are detailed in "Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them," the 18th book he has written or edited. He was in Portland recently for a speech and forum at Lewis & Clark College. He responded to questions in an interview: What do you think the role of public schools is in trying to identify anti-social kids and trying to help? ...Beyond that, there is the issue of school size -- they need to be smaller. [11/28/00]

"The assembly places all have large grounds, gardens, orchards, greenhouses, and none of the buildings in which children and older people gather will hold much more than 200 people, this having been found to be about the limits of close, intimate personal acquaintance on the part of people who associate together." - From John Dewey's address to the Conference on the Educational Status of the Four-and Five-Year-Old Child (Teachers College, Columbia University) first published in the New York Times, April 23, 1933.

Presentation by William Ayers at South Side Community Forum, Chicago Public School Design Competition. "I welcome this opportunity for two communities-architects and educators-to come together and talk about kids and teaching. What I want to talk about for a few minutes tonight is "teaching at its best and school design that supports teaching at its best." [11/13/00]

Instead of the distrust and hostility which typically characterizes parent-teacher relations, small schools make it possible for parents and teachers to work together through their recognition of their common interests in providing for the education and well being of children. - Pedro Noguera

The Seven Deadly Sins of Education: Remarks by Tom Vander Ark, accepting PEN's 2000 Crossing the River Jordan Award, on behalf of Bill & Melinda Gates, at the Public Education Network's 10th Annual Conference, Curriculum & Instruction: Communities Raising Educational Expectations. "Anonymity of large schools and dehumanizing systems. Big comprehensive high schools don’t work for most students – especially economically disadvantaged students of color –yet we continue to build them. In light of high expectations for all students, growing diversity and the potential of new technology, there is simply no excuse to ignore the most conclusive evidence in the field: small schools foster achievement by all. It’s simply criminal." [11/12/00]

Remarks as prepared for delivery by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley: Excelencia Para Todos - Excellence for All; The Progress of Hispanic Education and the Challenges of a New Century. "Still another way to turn around schools, ensure safe and disciplined learning environments, and raise achievement levels is through the creation of smaller schools that build supportive learning environments and give students a sense of connection to each other, to teachers, and to learning." [3/15/00]

The first and perhaps most critical element needed for effective character education programs is personalization, or human-scale schooling. Smaller classes and smaller schools enable schools to become communities in which teachers and students know and value each other as individuals. Schools within schools, block scheduling, and mentoring programs create more opportunities for knowing and caring for each student. - Diane G. Berreth, Deputy Executive Director, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) [3/1/00]