Since the Initiative began in 2003, Oregon gained 42 small high schools through conversions or new starts. In seven years more than 25,000 students have attended Initiative schools. National research established that the operating cost per graduating student in small schools is comparable to that of large comprehensive schools, making the small school model financially tenable in the long-term.

The next steps to anchor successes of small schools are taking shape now. By the time the Initiative completes at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, small schools will have moved into the next phase of their work.

For the 22 schools receiving extension grants in this final year of the Initiative, school and district leaders already are actively designing the future. This year’s leadership institute focused on sustainability of small schools in an environment of reduced funding for public education. Having already laid solid foundations for professional development and classroom teaching and learning, leaders can leverage the nimble structure of their schools to further extend rigor, relevance and relationships.

Also in this final year of the Initiative, two small schools agreed to participate in a separate and unique track of work related to proficiency-based education. Both schools are in the early stages of concentrated exploration to define what it takes to scale and authentically embed proficiency-based practices into instruction and assessment. Their undertaking, thus far promising yet incomplete, will supplement the extensive efforts by districts and schools across Oregon to introduce proficiency-based education in schools of all sizes.

Finally, extensive documentation about the Oregon Small Schools Initiative, including its TOOLS & RESOURCES, are being made available online as open source materials. Ongoing longitudinal analysis of student achievement data, graduation rates and college-readiness will expand the collective understanding of how small schools advance learning.