The Classrooms First Commission will review a broad array of existing research on educational efficiency and student performance, along with
Illinois School District Data. With the commission in stage two of its work, research has been organized according to the four work groups that have formed.
On each of these pages you can review the research, reports, and resources each work group will use to help develop draft recommendations.
Research Shows
Large high school districts tend to have higher student achievement, possibly due to their ability to offer more advanced placement (AP) courses and a wider variety of classes than smaller districts, according to a 2010 report from the Illinois State Board of Education. Demographics of these schools may also play a role.
Student performance is equal or better in small schools, regardless of district size, according to a 2011 report from Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy.
When student performance is held constant, consolidation is likely to lower the cost of two 300-pupil districts and two 900-pupil districts, but will have little impact on two 1,500-pupil districts, according to a study of rural New York district consolidation from Syracuse University.