Introduction

At 7:50 a.m. each school day, students across this suburban enclave converge on Montclair High School. Sitting amidst the stately trees, this brick building has seen many generations of teenagers rush from English to biology class, the sequence of their days guided by the tyranny of the ever-present period bells.

Yet for the past two years, this school has reshaped its structure, creating interdisciplinary courses that are blocked over two or more periods. In this way, it can offer students opportunities to enroll in smaller learning communities (SLCs) that personalize the high school experience.

In the 2000-2001 school year, Montclair received a Smaller Learning Communities Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This helped the school to create smaller learning communities that:

• Offer focused, intensive, and creative opportunities for students to learn interdisciplinary content
• Bring the same students together for two or three periods each day
• Allow students to select the SLC to which they want to belong, based on their interests

While each SLC is unique in its focus, each is dynamic and interactive, making it possible for students to create strong interpersonal connections with their SLC classmates and teachers.