NYC Education Reform Controversy: Do Smaller Schools Mean Success?

Chancellor Joel Klein of New York City has implemented a school reform strategy that aims to exchange large, underperforming schools with smaller schools. To date, 26 schools with high dropout rates have been closed and, since, graduation rates in the city have risen 10 percent.

Despite some of the strategy's successes, there are many who are discontented with the outcome -- hundreds of high school students left without a school to attend. Students who were left out in the transition -- including international and special education students -- were then forced to move to the few remaining high-capacity schools, only passing on the original problem.

PBS NEWSHOUR reports:

Chancellor Klein, who retires in January, says that change is controversial, and that there is still much tough work ahead to make the system work for the 300,000 students still attending large high schools.

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