When Can Johnny Start Walking to School Again?

The slow die-off of neighborhood schools is causing another problem: Mounting evidence suggests that the sheer size and impersonality of new, edge-of-town mega-schools harm kids’ education. This realization is triggering a growing movement for small schools, a cause that is gaining ground with the involvement of the Smart Growth movement, which pushes for better planning instead of the current, willy-nilly rush by developers into green fields. Together, the small schools and Smart Growth movements are now working to change the rules and habits that contribute to school sprawl.