Common sense tells us that smaller class size is good for students.
Large public schools are often partly judged by their average class size.
As a micro-school, LEADPrep has the benefit of small class sizes. But how is that really a
Common sense tells us that smaller class size is good for students.
Large public schools are often partly judged by their average class size.
As a micro-school, LEADPrep has the benefit of small class sizes. But how is that really a benefit?
Project Based Learning
Small schools can specialize in hands-on and project-based learning that include community collaboration. Our students use the cities of Seattle and Kirkland as living classrooms. At a school with 600 students this type of immersion in real life as a classroom is simply not sustainable. But with small class size we are able to be innovative and explore more options for our students to create projects that have impact – both on the student and on the community as a whole. An example of this is the commercial videos students recently made for Kirkland businesses. The owner of the Lizzy Kate Tea House appreciated the school – local business collaboration and our students appreciated producing work that had a purpose and provided a service.
Most people can’t manage more than about 150 friendships at a time. In a large school teachers and students both have great difficulty keeping tracking of individuals. In a micro-school teachers and students know each other well and teachers understand the learning style of each student. This means they can respond to students with tailored lessons designed to achieve personalized goals. Educators are able to respond nimbly to individual learner needs and be flexible with learning modalities.
Exploration and Research
Teachers have more flexibility in assigning work to students. Students are encouraged to