Class Size: Issues to Consider
What are the Benefits of Small Classes?
Although common sense would indicate that smaller class sizes are better for students, research doesn't show that this is necessarily so. Most studies show academic achievement and test score gains are greatest when there are classes of less than 30 students in grades K-3 and the greatest gains have been in reading and math. Students who are economically disadvantaged seem to benefit the most. Small classes seem to have less of an effect on achievement levels in the higher grades. Small classes alone don't raise student achievement levels-they need to be paired with effective teaching and appropriate learning activities to make a difference.
Small classes do have a positive effect on student attitudes and tend to improve classroom management as well as teacher morale. A Gates Foundation study in which high school dropouts were surveyed found that most students said they would have been more likely to stay in school if they had had small classes, better teachers and more relevant instruction.
Are There Disadvantages to Small Classes?
While small classes generally provide greater attention to students, there can be unintended consequences. When California mandated class size reduction in grades K-3 in 1997, schools needed to hire more teachers and many were forced to hire less experienced teachers, or teachers without full credentials, to meet the demand. Many districts had to add portable classrooms or build new schools to accommodate the small classes - a cost they were not prepared for. Making classes smaller came at a high cost, and hampered school districts from funding other educational needs.
In Florida in 2002, voters approved legislation to reduce class size and these smaller classes must be phased in by 2010. The state Board of Education estimates that Florida will need to spend $2 billion to build enough classrooms to meet the demand. It is unclear what effect this expense will have on the other education needs in the state.
What's the Difference Between the Student-Teacher Ratio and the Average Class Size?
The student-teacher ratio is the number of students at a school divided by the number of teachers, staff and and/or adults at the site. Different states define student-teacher ratio in different ways (for example, teachers only, all certified staff, all certified and non-certified staff). The student-teacher ratio often includes specialist teachers such as music, art, physical education and special education teachers, while the average class size generally only includes regular classroom teachers.
The average class size is the number of all students in each teacher's class divided by the number of regular teachers for specific classes (for example, the number of second-graders divided by the number of second-grade teachers). In the United States, the average difference between class size and student-teacher ratio is about 10 students in public elementary schools. For example, an elementary school with a student-teacher ratio of 14 in K-3 would have an average class size of 24 students.
Numbers can be deceiving. While a school may have an average class size of 20, or a student-teacher ratio of 14:1, your child could still have 30 students in his class. It's important to be aware of the average, but also the actual class size.
