Richmond education: Smaller Can Be Better

There is a revolution in education going on right here in Richmond and almost no one knows it about it.

The mantra of this revolution? Smaller is better.

We Americans are accustomed to believing bigger is better -- cars, houses, fast-food meals, department stores, furniture sales -- the bigger the better.

But this revolution going on in the Richmond Public Schools should attract our attention because its emphasis on smaller, better schools, is working.

In October, when the state's Standards of Learning (SOL) scores for schools were released, three small high schools right here in Richmond were the only schools in the region that had perfect scores. The three small schools with the perfect grade-level scores -- Richmond Community, Open, and Franklin Military Academy -- all have special programs designed to challenge students with high expectations.

The high expectations in those three schools are key. There, teachers and administrators do not allow students to settle for simply passing the SOLs, which are themselves minimum-standards tests. At Richmond Community, Open, and Franklin Military, teachers and administrators know students can do much better than simply passing and they drive that high expectation home to students and their parents.

IN THESE small Richmond high schools, teachers and administrators know every student and his or her family, and they pay close attention to the progress of each student. The students are challenged to achieve at the highest levels, and Richmond school officials make sure they don't go unnoticed.

Those high expectations are starting to make an impact in the community. As these schools help students achieve at higher levels, more and more families are starting to believe that their children can go to college, succeed there, can have successful careers, and make a difference in the quality of life for our entire community.

There is an underlying truth here that must not be missed: Our young people are not going to be prepared for success in vocational school or college or the workplace if schools focus only on just getting students over the minimum standards required by the SOLs. As a community and a school district, we need to clearly understand that expecting every child to achieve at high levels and to be ready for success in college and the workplace must be the new minimum expectation.

We in the business community are eager to provide good jobs for this next generation of Richmond Public Schools students who will emerge from their high school or vocational school experience and then perhaps college with a new academic work ethic. A better educated, more highly skilled work force certainly benefits the Richmond business environment but also transforms the entire community. If we want to break the cycle of poverty, underemployment, crime, and poor health that affects too many families in our city, we must do it through better schools.

WE HAVE SEEN that smaller schools, while more expensive to operate, really do work. Richmond Public Schools should begin investing in smaller schools that will offer more of our children an opportunity for an individualized, challenging education.

Such smaller schools might share facilities, but be administered separately, with smaller pupil-teacher ratios. In the K-3 years, a reduction in classroom size of two students per class (say from 14-18 per class to 12-16 per class) would cost the school systern $2.5 million dollars.

I propose that the business community of Richmond step forward to work with Interim Superintendent Yvonne Brandon and the School Board to plan how this "smaller is better" approach could be expanded to more schools. We in business have a tremendous stake in the success of our schools because that is where we will get our workers in years to come.

The business community needs to join the revolution, providing our resources to help create more small schools to improve the chances for success of our students and future fellow citizens.

What can we do? Become involved in supporting our interim school superintendent and our newly elected School Board and encourage them to create smaller schools with reduced pupil-teacher ratios. It will be a big investment but should produce dramatic results -- and we all will benefit.

S. Buford Scott is chairman of Scott & Stringfellow Inc. Contact him at (804) 780-3233.