It looks cooler than the average classroom, and the way students are taught here is completely different, too.

The most obvious thing that sets Goleta Family School apart from other schools locally is its grouping of students. They take a multiage approach, grouping together kindergarten through second grades and third through sixth grades. Within these two classes, which meet at Foothill School, the teachers are able to group students by ability after an individual assessment.

“We never look at age or grade. I meet them where they’re at,” said Elizabeth Blair, who teaches the school’s younger group.

Teri Briggs, who teaches the third- through sixth-graders next door to Blair, said that not only can the students be grouped by ability in a multiage setup, but also by interest.
“In a multiage setting, we’re teaching kids to cooperate with and learn with each other,” said Briggs, who’s taught at the school for 15 years.

“We have to create projects and differentiate the instruction. We have to make the curriculum available to all different students where they’re at,” she said.

Because the ages are allowed to mix, older children have the ability to help the younger ones, and have their own learning reinforced as they teach. They also learn leadership while interacting with younger children, who are motivated to learn.

The tiny school, which was formed 28 years ago, has a total of 44 students, 20 are ages kindergarten through second grade and 24 are third through sixth grade.

Briggs said the school is the only multiage school in the area.

The school accepts new students every year through a lottery system since space is so limited. The program is also tuition free.

“I only have four or five new students every year,” Blair said. “We know the kids so much better.”

“When I start the year, the second graders are role models for the little ones.”
In her classroom, reading is the first priority.

Parent involvement is also key to the school’s success and each parent is expected to participate teaching lessons or helping the teachers two hours a week, for each child they have enrolled.

Ceramics, cooking, art, science and gardening are all parent-led at the school, Briggs said.
She believes there’s lots of research to support how well kids do in school with how much parents are involved, day to day.

The students also test consistently above average on their state tests, Briggs said.
Since the school is so small, Briggs said much of their time is spent advertising, giving presentations to parents and informing the public.