Some school administrators argue in favor of large schools based on their ability to ‘offer everything’ to prepare students for college. Research disproves this argument. Students from small schools, in fact, attend college at a significantly higher rate, have higher scores on college entrance exams, and have better college grade point averages and completion rates according to Kathleen Cotton’s survey of research. “We have to invent new schools,” explains Linda Darling-Hammond, “We have to invent a way that allows us to know students well, to teach them [at] high levels, to deal with the effects of inequality in society, and [to] create something more equitable and thoughtful.”
