"There are high schools like Scripps and Mira Mesa which have over 3,000 students each," Ottinger said. He said the report will examine the feasibility of creating houses of approximately 500 students each, by apportioning the school's facilities. "There have been some studies done that say if you go towards a 'house' model, it helps to improve student learning and the attention each student receives," he said.

Schools within schools, Ottinger said, may give students the feeling that "they are part of a more family-like environment" They can lead to programs facilitating "school-to-careering, providing different emphases based on career preference," he added.

Typically, they utilize "more team teaching and more team discussion of individual students," Ottinger said. 

The school board member's "day job" is also in the educational field, as national associate director of AVID -- Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID is "a college prep program for underserved students," he said. -- Donald H. Harrison