Almost a good idea

The recent discussions suggesting that West Boylston might be interested in partnering with the Wachusett Regional School District, at first glance, seems like a good prospect for West Boylston. It would allow the town's students to have access to more educational resources and possibly lead to savings for the town's taxpayers.
Except that it's not such a good idea.
Most of the discussion regarding increased regionalization focuses on cost-savings because that's where the good results can be shown. What can't be shown is improved student achievement.
The research here is scant (surprising in itself), but the few recent reports that are generally available show no improvements in student test scores. For example, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau recently published recommendations for the Worcester schools. A search of wrrb.org site, however, shows no research or reports regarding regionalization. See The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy for some presentations regarding Massachusetts school regionalization research.
In addition, the nationwide research data are showing that increasing school size increases the risk of school violence. "The prevalence of frequently occurring discipline problems was related to school enrollment size." The publicly available statistics don't indicate a major violence problem in the Wachusett district schools; let us all continue to enjoy the quiet.
So, remembering the engineering adage (Fast, Cheap, Good - pick two), it's probably best for West Boylston to consider some other ideas for their school's future.
Cross-posted on OntheCommon.com