Nehring also discussed the advantage of small schools in offering flexibility.
"What you don't do is plug in models," he said. "Schools grow in particular communities. It involves a lot of work, and the community must create the work."
Attendance at the discussion was high, including about 150 GSE students and members of the public.
Linn C. Gerrard, a GSE student in Sizer's class, identified with the panel members.
"I have worked in a Connecticut school which has gone through whole school restructuring," she said. "The discussion was right on the mark-honest, reality-based."
Luke Beatty, another GSE student, said he appreciated the opportunity to listen to the discussion.
"Listening to Deborah Meier and her fellow educators allowed me to look at the utopian experience that is the center of our course creating schools," he said.