| The Small Schools program in San Francisco Schools | | | | Students are motivated while being connected to the |
| was established back in 2000. One successful | | | | school community. The National Longitudinal Study for |
| example of a small school is the San Francisco | | | | Adolescent Health reports that students in a small |
| Schools' Leadership High School. This high school has a | | | | school environment were less likely to use alcohol, |
| total of only 345 students, uses high standards and | | | | illegal drugs, become pregnant, or experience emotional |
| close relationship with teachers to help at risk students. | | | | distress. |
| Leadership High School was established about 5 years | | | | San Francisco Schools' Small Schools for Equity |
| ago and now has some of the highest test scores in | | | | The Small Schools for Equity program is an innovative |
| all of the San Francisco Schools. Mainly the idea is to | | | | partnership between San Francisco Schools and a |
| take large schools, usually high schools, into several | | | | local university. This high school has one hundred |
| smaller schools that can focus on the students needs | | | | students from all of the San Francisco Schools. This |
| better. | | | | high school will be housed on the university's campus |
| San Francisco Schools have become a leader in a | | | | and be supported by the College of Education while |
| growing trend that has spread across Northern | | | | being managed and funded by San Francisco Schools. |
| California. The idea behind breaking up large schools is | | | | The students, teachers and administration will have a |
| an attempt to provide an alternative to the status quo. | | | | say in curriculum development. Students who attend |
| Students in a small school tend to have higher rates of | | | | the Small Schools for Equity program were chosen by |
| graduation, higher attendance rates, and higher | | | | San Francisco Schools' officials. The high school |
| university attendance. The small school environment | | | | students will study a rigid curriculum that will include high |
| succeeds due to a more personalized learning | | | | school level math, science, English, humanities, world |
| environment. The small schools of the San Francisco | | | | language, art and Japanese. No college courses will be |
| Schools use a mentor system that gives guidance to | | | | offered. |
| that they are personally engaged in their work. | | | | |