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| Class Size of Your Child |
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| Class size is one of many factors to consider when choosing or evaluating a school How much attention do students at your school get? Class size is one factor to consider when evaluating a school?s effectiveness. But small class size alone does not ensure a good education. The quality of the teaching, the school leadership, the size of the school, the amount of parent involvement and other factors are important to consider, too. Reducing class size is an appealing and visible way for states and schools to show that they are improving the quality of education. Because smaller classes allow teachers to devote more time to instruction and less to classroom management, smaller classes are popular with teachers unions and administrators. Many studies have shown an increase in student achievement, fewer discipline problems and improvement in teacher morale and retention as a result of class size reduction. But many researchers quest ion whether the costs outweigh the benefits |
Unintended Consequences
In addition to high costs, reducing class size can have unintended consequences. Class size reduced, Schools may not found enough good teachers or classrooms to meet the challenge. Schools are facing a dilemma. Was it really better to have smaller classes with an inexperienced teacher or larger classes with experienced teachers? |
What Defines a ?Small Class??
Researchers have found that gains in achievement generally occur when class size is reduced to less than 20 students.
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What Are the Benefits of Small Classes?
Numerous studies have been done to assess the impact of class size reduction. Although most studies do show a relationship between small class size and increased student achievement, researchers disagree on how to interpret the results. Because there are so many variables in the average classroom--the quality of the teacher, the home environment of the students, the quality of the curriculum, the leadership of the school-- it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about student achievement based on class size alone. In other words, strategies effective in one setting may not be equally effective in another. Nevertheless, studies over a period of years have pointed to a number of trends as a result of lowering class size:
> Gains associated with small classes generally appear when the class size is reduced to less than 20 students.
> Gains associated with small classes are stronger for the early grades.
> Gains are stronger for students who come from groups that are traditionally disadvantaged in education?minorities and immigrants.
> Gains from class size reduction in the early grades continue for students in the upper grades. Students are less likely to be retained, more likely to stay in school and more likely to earn better grades.
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Why Does Reducing Class Size in the Early Grades Have a Positive Effect? Education researchers suspect that class size reduction in the early grades helps students to achieve because there is a greater opportunity for individual interaction between student and teacher in a small class. Teachers generally have better morale in a small class, too, and are less likely to feel overwhelmed by having a variety of students with different backgrounds and achievement levels. As a result, they are more likely to provide a supportive environment.
In the early grades, students are just beginning to learn about the rules of the classroom, and they are figuring out if they can cope with the expectations of education. If they have more opportunity to interact with their teacher, they are more apt to feel like they can cope.
This theory would also explain why lowering class size in the upper grades may not have the same affect on achievement. Students in the upper grades, who may not have had the benefits of a small class in the early years, have already formed their habits, good and bad, for coping with their classroom environment. Simply reducing the class size at this level may not be enough to change their ways. |
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Why Smaller Classes Aren?t Enough
> Per-student funding for class size reduction was not enough to cover the cost for already under-funded districts.
> School had to hire new teachers, many of them not certificated, to meet the needs to make their classes smaller.
> Serious overcrowding issues forced schools to ?cannibalize? other needed facilities?special education rooms, child care centers, art and music rooms,?or rent portable classrooms to accommodate the need for more classrooms.
> The high cost of implementing class size reduction made it difficult to fund other education needs. Class size reduction, in and of it, is not the answer to all the problems in education. In order for a classroom to be effective, it must have a qualified teacher and adequate facilities. When weighing the advantages of class size reduction, schools, districts and states must consider these questions: > Will there be enough resources to provide for high-quality teachers?
> Will there be adequate facilities to provide for the necessary classrooms?
> Will putting money into class size reduction take away money from other programs, such as art, music and child care? |
How Important Is School Size?
School size may be as important as class size in influencing student behavior, especially in the upper grades.
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Other Important Factors to Consider |
Teacher workload |
In high schools, it is important to consider not only the number of students per class but the nature of the class, and the subject the teacher is teaching. For example, a math teacher might have no problem teaching an advanced math class, or several math classes, with 35-40 students. But an English teacher teaching four classes of 40 students would probably not be able to give the proper attention to written assignments from that many students, and might not give as many assignments because of the large number of students.
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| Team teaching |
Some schools might have classes of 40 taught by a team of two teachers. The class size by itself is not necessarily an indication of the attention students are getting.
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| Volunteers |
Some schools effectively use upper-grade students as volunteers in the classroom. This type of instructional help may not appear in a school?s data about class size.
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| Source: Great schools |
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