Lee Phillips Class size
Position paper 2#
04-28-09
Students, teachers and administrators are debating about the topic of class size, and whether to reduce or increase the size of the class. The benefits VS the cost’s, they measure not only in monetary factors but in qualitative factors too. Research (as well as popular opinion) has indicated that people agree with the idea that small educational settings will definitely provide success for schools, students, as well as teachers. The problems that go along with reducing class sizes are also of a major concern to the communities that surround the schools. There are a plethora of factors which have been debated to why the idea that class sizes should be reduced, some include: deplorable test scores, the increasing drop-out rates, the trend toward career and or vocational education, along with teachers and schools favoring learner-oriented teaching strategies.
The big question is, what measures can be implemented in order to reduce class sizes with out increasing cost’s to the tax payers? What sacrifices will the students, community, teachers and schools have to make in order to solve the problem?
Possible solutions:
Smaller classes from grades K to 6th and then a gradual increase in class sizes from 7th grade and up , this gradual class size increase to be limited to non-inclusive settings. Could AP classes take the increase with the help of online resources like blackboard and or other E-learning software?
California raised the notion to its teachers; instead of a raise in pay would you rather have fewer students per class? The CA “Deal aims to reduce class size; In lieu of potentially larger raises, the L.A. teachers union want[ed] funds earmarked to make classes smaller across the board”.
Some states are looking into the possibilities that the reduction of class sizes will have on their young learners.
Some states, such as Ohio, are using funds from the Class Size Reduction Program to turn low-performing schools around by reducing class size from 25 to 15. (Possibly comparable to NJ’s Abbott district funding)
There is no irrefutable proof that reducing class size leads to a definitive answer to this problem. So, the class size debate will continue on in school districts everywhere, and there doesn't seem to be a clear answer or solution on the horizon.
How to Implement Small Classes
A. What is the most effective timeline?
Since research has shown that the small-class treatment is most beneficial when it begins when the youngster starts school, and then lasts at least three years (). The following timeline for class size reductions is recommended.
· Year 1: Reduce Kindergarten classes to 1:15 with a maximum size of 20
· Year 2: Reduce grades K and 1
· Year 3: Reduce grades K,1,2
· Year 4: Reduce grades K,1,2,3
A big supporter for the movement to reducing class size, Professor Michael Klonsky, at the University of Illinois, said, "A compelling body of research shows that when students are[a] part of smaller and more intimate learning communities, they are more successful".Other notable supporters of this faction include Al Gore, Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of Education Richard Riley to name a few.
http://www.nj.gov/education/abbotts/about/
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/promisinginitiatives/classize.html
http://www.reduceclasssizenow.org/state_of_the_states.htm
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/or/index.html
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