High School Redesign Overview

Our goal is to create small learning communities that engage students in active, inquiry-based learning, stress depth of competency, and maintain high expectations for all students in an atmosphere that provides each individual personal support.

Research indicates that small schools have:

• Higher student achievement
• Improved attendance
• Reduced violence and disruptive behavior
• Higher graduation rates
• Increased student satisfaction
• Increased teacher satisfaction

For full details, please click here to view the Creating the High Schools We Need publication in PDF.

Small Schools Media Coverage

Click here to read the Cincinnati Enquirer article, "West Clermont's 'Small Schools' Open Doors."

Click here to read the Enquirer's article about reinventing high schools.

The New High Schools

• School for World Studies
• School of Creative Arts and Design
• School of Business and Technology
• Communications and Technology School
• School of Scientific Studies
• School for American Studies, A Gilder Lerhman School
• School for Applied Health Sciences
• International Baccalaureate
• Math, Science, and Technology Academy
• West Clermont Institute of Performing Arts

Background

During the 1999-2000 school year, West Clermont Local Schools began looking at how we could better serve their students to prepare them with 21st century skills. The process we used, called Continuous Improvement, required that we make decisions that are research-based and data-driven. Each of the district's twelve schools began examining themselves to make instructional changes.

During this time, community forums were held. From these town meetings emerged our district mission and six community-mandated goals.

The two high schools, in collaboration with the Harvard Institute for School Leadership, began looking at their student data, conducting student focus groups, and examining national research in best practices.

Through this process it became clear that teenagers are not best served in large, impersonal schools. We could not re-build, but we could re-structure.

Amelia High School and Glen Este High School have been working on this restructuring for almost two years now. The new schools opened August 2002.

Research Information

For detailed information and research about small high schools, see these sites:
http://www.smallschoolsproject.org/
http://www.smallschools.com/
http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/nslc.pdf

Financial and Technical Support provided by

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Knowledgeworks Foundation
Corning Precision Lens
Harvard University Institute for School Leadership
University of Minnesota Center for School Change