"Not surprisingly, one of the immediate results of small-school restructuring is a reduction in violent or disruptive behavior on the part of students. Small school teachers report a reduction in the number and seriousness of disciplinary infractions, which may be attributed to greater sense of ownership of school by children." -Michael and Susan Klonsky
Kathleen Cotton’s survey of the research linking school size to social behavior investigated everything from truancy and classroom disruption to vandalism, aggressive behavior, theft, substance abuse, and gang participation. Not only do small schools have lower incidences of these negative social behaviors than large schools, the impact of small schools was found to be even more positive among minority and low SES students. The Center for Adolescent Development at the University of Minnesota “learned that school connectedness is a powerful protective factor.” They found students who feel connected to school are less likely to use alcohol and illegal drugs, are less likely to engage in violent or deviant behavior, are less likely to become pregnant, and are less likely to experience emotional distress. The National Center for Education Statistics reports urban schools with less than 400 students have 29% less serious violent incidents compared to schools with over 1,000 students.
