ERS Guiding Resource Principles
The ERS Small School - School Tool helps small school designers as well as established small secondary schools to understand how to use school resources to support the school's instructional vision.
The Small School Design Tool achieves this, in part, by providing school designers with a set of "Resource Indicators". The Resource Indicators measure and quantify the effectiveness with which a school is using its resources. Resource Indicators can also be used to illuminate the trade-offs school designers make in order to make their instructional vision operational.
The Resource Indicators are organized according to ERS's Guiding Resource Principles:
Investing in Teacher Quality through hiring, professional development, job structure and common planning time. Examples of Resource Indicators in this area include:
- % of budget spent on PD
- % of teachers of 9th Grade core academics with 3 years or less teaching experience
Strategic Use of Time, including emphasizing core academics and literacy for all students. Examples of Resource Indicators in this area include:
- % of student year spent in core academic courses
- % of Math classes >= 70 minutes
Creating Individual Attention and Personal Learning Environments Examples of Resource Indicators in this area include:
- Is average class size for 9th grade core academics less than overall average class size?
- Is teacher load for 9th grade core academics less than overall average teacher load?
Leveraging Internal and External Resources to Support School Design, such as using part-time staff, flexible schedules, and outside resources to best meet student needs, especially to provide electives, extracurricular activities and address social and emotional needs. Examples of Resource Indicators in this area include:
- Average compensation for core academic teachers vs. non core
- $ per pupil from external sources
Finally, it should be noted that all schools operate within the context of a specific legal and administrative framework. This framework impacts the schools' ability to organize resources effectively and to operate in alignment with their design. It is therefore critical to consider a school's regulatory and administrative context before interpreting the school's Resource Indicators.