Group 5: Chapter 8 (School Organization)

A school is defined as a social institution.  They have academic goals, social and civic goals, vocational goals, and personal goals.  They are made up of many different professionals.  They include: principal, vice principal, guidance counselor, school psychologist, health-care provider, secretaries/receptionists, instructional support staff, custodians/cafeteria workers, and lastly teachers.  Schools are split into three divisions: elementary schools (K-5), middle schools (6-8), and high schools (9-12).

Schools have many different factors that lead to their success or failure.  The optimal class size is twenty students or less.  They must have a clear academic focus and high collective efficiency.  Interactive instruction leads to a higher level of learning.  Frequent assessment is necessary to follow students progress and comprehension.  Schools that have a safe and orderly environment are much more successful.  The last major factor in a successful school is parent involvement.  Chapter 8 also discusses virtual schools, a 4 day week, and charter schools.

How was my school organized? List the pros and cons.

My school was organized into an elementary school (2-6) and high school (K,1, 7-12).  The seperation of kindergartners and first graders from the elementary was due to the lack of space and growing class sizes.  They had a seperate wing of the high school that was prohibited to older students.  I really liked how our school was organized.  The 7th and 8th graders lockers were on the first floor as well as most of their classes, then the 9-12 was upstairs.  The 9-12 was spilt up by hallways, each grade got their own hallway section of lockers.  I think this type of set up is quite beneficial to students.  The 7th and 8th graders are not bombarded by the upperclassmen, yet they have a chance to see that environment.  The only con I had with my school was that kids in the special education program were not mainstreamed into classes well.  Also, many of the para professionals were not only distracting to their students, but everyone in the classroom.  All but a few were very rude and mean to thier students and that really bothered me.