The Perfect High School - Research Paper Example

The Ideal High School The ideal high school should have a small size preferably enrolling between 600 and 900 (Lee & Smith, 1997) as the impact of education depends extensively on the school’s size. Moreover, the social behaviours of children are also seen to be largely shaped by school size. Schools are seen to impact the quality of the curriculum, cost effectiveness, academic achievement, student attitudes, social behaviour, extracurricular participation, attendance, dropouts, belongingness, self-concept, interpersonal relations and teacher attitudes.

Research suggests that smaller school sizes positively affect all of the factors mentioned above (Ehrich, 2011). In terms of educational orientation, education should not be tainted with any particular tinge be it religious, secular, militarism or any other. Instead free though and liberal education should be pursued in order to rear responsible, free thinking and independent individuals who could develop a responsible society. (Fong, 2004) Students should be delivered active and comprehensive sex education which should cover sexual needs, behaviour, contraceptive measures, teenage pregnancy issues and the like.

Research indicates that proper sex education is helpful in dissuading irresponsible sexual behaviours and helps curb the proliferation of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) (Dailard, 2001). Education on alcohol and drug usage should be freely dispersed in order to make students realise the dangers associated with drug use. (Engs, 1981) All students should be encouraged to take part in academic and social activities across the board. Moreover, an environment of tolerance and understanding should be supported so that certain students are not marginalised socially.

The events at Columbine (Aronson, 2011) indicate that the creation of cliques through social marginalisation has disastrous consequences which could be avoided well in time through the active intervention of teachers and students. Classes and other activities should not be segregated on any cleavages such as gender, ethnicity, social background or the like so that students develop a tolerant attitude towards other human beings (Sethi & Somanathan, 2004). An active work life balance should be maintained for the students.

Opportunities for physical recreation should be accessible to all students across the board. (Pangrazi, 2007) Students should be presented with an open environment where they are given all forms of amenities that economic feasibility can support such as food varieties, innovative work stations and the like. However, similar facilities should be made available for the teachers and staff as well so that they can relax as required. (Teachers and Recovery from Work-Related Stress (WRS), 2011) Discipline should be kept as a primary focus too so that problems can be arrested before they go out of hand.

(Saltman & Gabbard, 2003) Education and curriculum should be focused on student centred learning. This will ensure that the length of classes, the syllabi, grading and credit rating for students is decided by the students. Overall this will promote an educational approach which will favour learning over grades alone. (Estes, 2004) Teachers should be trained so that they can educate while learning themselves. Moreover, teachers should be trained to have an open mind towards all kinds of attitudes and behaviours and intervention should be carried out when necessitated. (H., 2004) Works Cited Aronson, E. (2011). Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion After Columbine.

First Owl Books. Dailard, C. (2001). Sex Education: Politicians, Parents, Teachers and Teens. The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy, Guttmacher Institute . Ehrich, R. W. (2011). The Impact of School Size. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from Virigina Tech University: http://delta.cs.vt.edu/edu/size.html Engs, R. C. (1981). Responsibility and Alcohol. Journal of Health Education (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) , 20-22. Estes, C. (2004). Promoting Student-Centred Learning in Experiential Education.

Journal of Experiential Education, 27(2) , 141-161. Fong, B. (2004). Looking Forward: Liberal Education in the 21st Century. Liberal Education (Association of American Colleges and Universities) 90 (1) , 8–13. H., W. (2004). Induction programs that keep new teachers teaching and improving. NASSP Bulletin Vol. 88 No. 638 . Lee, V. E., & Smith, J. B. (1997). High School Size: Which Works Best and for Whom? EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS 19(3) , 205-227. Pangrazi, R. (2007). Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children, 15th ed.

Saltman, K. J., & Gabbard, D. A. (2003). Education as Enforcement: The Militarization and Corporatization of Schools. RoutledgeFalmer. Sethi, R., & Somanathan, R. (2004). Inequality and Segregation . Journal of Political Economy . Teachers and Recovery from Work-Related Stress (WRS). (2011). Getting help with an absence from work due to WRS. Retrieved June 19, 2011, from Teachers and Recovery from Work-Related Stress (WRS): http://www.wrsrecovery.com/