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| New Developments in the Class Size Debate |
| posted by: Cindy Omlin | November 30, 2010, 08:42 PM |
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A few years ago, class size seemed to be one of the most talked about classroom policies. Smaller class sizes would lessen the load on an educator and give students a more individualized classroom experience, right? Well, just as fast as class sizes went down, they are now creeping back up and gaining attention in certain states struggling with budget shortfalls. The debate over class size grows as some argue over the impact it has on students in the classroom. "It really has a lot to do with how people teach. Experience and teaching style really make the difference. If you teach in a lecture style, classroom size is probably not going to make a difference. But studies show that classroom reduction really makes sense in kindergarten through grade three," said Patrick Westcott, associate professor of teacher education at Rowan University. Certainly raising class sizes walks a fine line between reducing costs and negatively affecting students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the national ratio of students to their teachers fell between 1980 and 2008, from 17.6 to 15.8 students per public school teacher. This statistic accounts for special needs classrooms where class sizes are traditionally smaller. The U.S. Department of Education estimates the current average class size is closer to 25 students. Nearly all the states that have changed their class-size policies since 2008 have eased restrictions, in many cases specifically to ease districts' budget burdens, according to the Education Commission of the States. In Florida for example, voters had a chance to ease the class-size limits that voters approved in 2002 with a ballot imitative. It did not receive the votes needed to pass an amendment and class sizes are required to stay under 25 students despite heavy budget constraints. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says we have to do "more with less." "I anticipate that a number of districts may be asked next year to weigh targeted class-size increases against the loss of music, arts, and after-school programming," Duncan said. "It's difficult to talk about class size... but we owe it to the country's children to have those conversations...We support shifting away from class-size-based reduction that is not evidence-based." The hard evidence for smaller class size is mixed and shows a higher impact for younger, minority and low-income students. Among the best-known is the Tennessee Department of Education's Student Teacher Achievement Ratio project, a four-year study during the 1990s that tracked more than 7,000 students in 79 schools. The STAR program ultimately found that in classes with 17 or less pupils in kindergarten though grade three are more likely to graduate and attend college. Replicating the success in other states like Florida and California proved difficult and as a result class size reduction gained critics in some policy makers and researchers. Opponents argue most class-size-reduction plans are too general, and improvements aren't significant enough to balance the astronomical costs of keeping class sizes down. In Florida, the policy that was kept in place by November's vote will ultimately cost the state $40 billion over the next ten years. The debate over class size is likely to gain steam as administrators struggle with limited budgets in the years to come. As an educator, do you feel that class size makes a significant difference in your classroom? Comment below. Originally posted by Alix at AAE.
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