Some historical perspective

From Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, "In One Room, Many Advantages":

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124631953965570969.html

The article notes that in 1913 over half of the schoolchildren in the US attended single teacher ("one room") schools; by 1960 only 1% did so, with the change to "consolidated schools" prompting concern in parents and the community about whether they would lose their "say" in their children's education.