Areas of Service | Real-world
Examples
Smalls Schools Thinking | Small
Schools Resources
All learning begins when our comfortable
ideas turn out to be inadequate. — John Dewey
© 2003-2006 Architects of Achievement, all rights reserved.
This website was designed and developed through the
generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seeing is Believing: How Identity Contributes to the Success of Small Learning Communities
Download PDF
28 pages, 5.6 MB
Download PowerPoint Slide Presentation
33 slides, 54.5 MB
Architecture for Achievement: Building Patterns for Small School Learning
In this recently released book, a team of experienced architects and educators charts a practical and elegant path through the maze of decisions encountered in a school building or conversion project. Filled with examples from the field, Architecture for Achievement sets out a "pattern language" with which planners can explore the architectural details that will make or break their school's design. For teachers, community members, contractors, school board members, designers, and all those who particpate in the project, it guides the way to a place that supports all students in learning. The book can be ordered through www.amazon.com.
For bulk orders at a reduced cost, call 206.450.5773, or email tamar@eaglechatterpress.com.
Architecture for Achievement: Our Kids Deserve Better
What does it take to build small learning environments capable of supporting success for all learners? Architects of Achievement’s new video, Architecture for Achievement: Our Kids Deserve Better, explores this question by focusing on five campuses, which each took a different path to small. Vividly illustrating a variety of smart design patterns, the video – used in conjunction with an accompanying video guide and with our new book, Architecture for Achievement: Building Patterns for Small School Learning – is a valuable resource for anyone embarking upon, or in the midst of, a school redesign process. The video can be ordered through www.amazon.com.
Dollars And Sense II
This report deepens the argument for small schools in three important ways. First, analysis of more than three thousand construction projects shows that smaller schools are no more expensive to build
than much larger schools. Second, analysis of the budgets of 25 good small schools throughout the United States demonstrates that on average they spend less per student on educational program, maintenance and operations than the per-pupil expenditure in their districts, yet they achieve results that are equal to or better than schools in the same area. Third, these schools offer innovative and effective educational programs, facilities, and strategies for cost effectiveness that can serve as models and inspiration to people interested in cost-effective good small schools. A complete Appendix containing contact information, budgets, test scores, and references follows the text.
