Big or Small: does the size of a secondary school matter?
FORUM - ISSN 0963-8253
Volume 50 Number 2 (2008)
Big or Small: does the size of a secondary school matter?
MARK NEWMAN pages 167-176
DOI: 10.2304/forum.2008.50.2.167
Abstract
The relationship between the size of a school and various education outcomes continues to interest parents, campaigners and politicians. This article summarises some of the arguments made in relation to the importance of school size and explores the results of a systematic review of 31 research studies on the effects of secondary school size. Overall, the review found that directions and patterns of effect vary for different outcomes. The results of the review suggested that there was little empirical evidence to justify policies aimed at changing or mandating particular school sizes. However, given the continuing interest in the issue and indications that more research is becoming available, the author suggests that continuing rigorous systematic evaluation is needed to explore the association between school size and outcomes.
To cite this article
MARK NEWMAN (2008) Big or Small: does the size of a secondary school matter?, FORUM, 50(2), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.2304/forum.2008.50.2.167