In 1993, New York City tried a different way of changing failing schools. A large failing high school was closed, and in its place were created four small high schools, a small elementary school, an infant and toddler program, a day care center for children of adolescent parents, and a medical clinic. Over a period of 3 or 4 years the building was emptied; the students who were there as first-year students stayed on until they graduated, but there were no new-entry students into that high school. The students who would have gone to that school went to the new schools. Initially, the new schools were not located in the big building. In time the large building was redesigned to house all the new schools and programs. The schools within the building are totally autonomous: they have their own curriculum, student body, parent group, faculty, and mission. A building council decides how to share certain common resources and draw on some of the benefits of numbers without experiencing the disadvantages of large schools. Students are exposed to adult conversation, mixed-aged grouping is utilized, and teachers are allowed to figure out what works. Pedagogy relies on conversation and seminars instead of conventional lectures. Twice a year there are projects involving all staff and students, and on certain days, students visit universities. Students learn to research and analyze issues and write papers on any subject. Ninety-four percent of students go on to college. Appendices present the principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools, the Center for Collaborative Education, and Human Scale Education. (TD)