Consolidation, What Is It Good For?
[imgbelt img=Vermontcreeper.jpg]Schools can be places where generations of a community’s residents are nurtured. That will never happen if the school is closed and children are sent to a consolidated facility a bus ride away.
 that strong community and school leaders can leverage to improve the well being of children.</p><p>It is true that without good school leadership, small schools do not necessarily guarantee high-quality education, although the research does suggest that small classes and schools tend to benefit students.</p><p>The main issue is a tradeoff between seemingly lower costs now with consolidation and the longer-run likelihood that smaller, community-based schools can ultimately improve lives, citizenship, and productivity of students when they become adults.</p><p>Leaders of small rural schools need to ask different questions:</p><p>What about education of children in and for the community?</p><p>How can we be creative in using the school to help develop and nurture homegrown opportunities in a global economy, to build our community’s future?</p><p>What about the school, not only as an amenity, but also as a vital force in the community?<div class=)
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