Class Size Matters!

The current average class size in PCEP is about 27-30 students. A class of this size can penalize the academic experience in many ways; teachers are often overworked, students receive less attention from the teacher, and more disruptions occur. A reduction in class size would solve these problems as well as lead to many other benefits. A study in Tennessee, which involved more than 1,200 teachers and almost 12,000 students, randomly assigned teachers and students to classes of differing sizes. The study found that the class sizes of 15 or fewer produced a quieter and better learning environment. The students in these classes performed at a higher success rate than the ones in larger class sizes. This is due to the benefits of a smaller class size. The first benefit is a smaller workload for teachers, which could possibly encourage the teacher to put in more effort and spend more time teaching. The next benefit would be teachers being able to tailor instruction more individually. It is often said that teachers have to teach to the lower middle of the class. Anyone below that level has to fend for themselves, often being left behind, and anyone above it spends most of the class period daydreaming while they wait for everyone else to finish learning a concept they figured out ten minutes into the lesson. All of these benefits contribute to the success of students.This encases the importance of smaller

Overcrowded schools are one of the many reasons why America is falling backwards. With high birth rates and continuous immigration flow the classroom has become overcrowded. The best way a student can learn is if the attention is not so divided. With large classrooms having over 30 students, it makes it almost impossible for a teacher to attend to each student equally. “Slavin (1989) reviewed those studies that lasted a minimum of 1 year and had 20 students or fewer. He concluded that substantial reductions in class size have a small positive effect on students” (Synopsis of Class Size Literature). Classrooms should be small enough for a teacher to perform well without divided attention. In smaller classrooms, students are recognized for their contribution and participation. Students can respect the work of their peers individually and learn from them and help maintain order. They have more time to be collaborative, work creatively, think critically and draw their own predictions. In “Every Classroom Teacher’s Dream”, Patricia Handley states that “Teachers have more opportunity for personalized assessment with students, such as individual conferencing. With a small class, teacher can maximize best teaching practices, heightening students’ academic achievement” (6). There is ample evidence on how a small classroom can improve so much.

In 2008, a study was done by Zahorik and a few of his colleagues, and they found that in smaller classes, the discipline was actually worried about less than in bigger classes, thus proving that students have better behavior in smaller classes because of the student and teacher ratio and the desire to be less distracting. Students with learning or behavioral disabilities also will get the chance to have more individualized plans and more one on one teacher time.

Although there are advantages and disadvantages in class size reduction to student achievement, there can be a compromise. Smaller class sizes do not have to be for everyone. It can be left to lower achieving schools. Beginning teachers can start in smaller classes, and leave the larger classes for the more experienced. Larger class schools can provide one on one or small group tutoring for those who need extra help. In kindergarten and first grade establish smaller classes but gradually grow. There is a solution to every problem, but it takes effort to find the most effective

Researchers studies on the class size have differed. Some have found no significant impact; others have discovered that student achievement declines slightly as class size increases. More recently, others have found that students in a smaller class learn more because of the size and one-on-one time. Medium classes have

This year, the united federation of teachers, New Yorks teachers union, did a annual survey and they found out that 7,000 classrooms exceeded the limits acceptable for proper learning. Students should get more individual attention for their learning process and to be able to perform better in grades. The size of a class is very important for many schools like this one because of educational

Smaller classes would result in stronger student teacher connections. When there is a smaller group in a class there are fewer students that a teacher has to get to know in that class and can have a better one on one connection with the students. By having a smaller class they can get to know students deeply. A larger amount of staff means there could be multiple sections of the same class, making the classes smaller. That allows for stronger connections between students and teachers, meaning that a teacher can reach out to students, and can understand their students better. Smaller classes will also give students a greater chance to ask questions. Fewer students means that students can ask the questions about what they don’t understand because there isn’t 30 other people trying to ask a question. Smaller classes mean that questions are more likely to be answered giving the student an in depth understanding of the subject. The final reason that hiring staff would improve classes by making them smaller is that it is extremely difficult to teach a large class. A larger amount of people causes for difficulty in maneuvering around the classroom. This can diminish the class level and diminish what the students take away from that class. It is easier to move around 20 people and not 35. Having enough teachers means that teaching a class would be improved. With

The classes more discussion-oriented and students are expected to be ready to discuss reading and assignments each class. Most college students feel more comfortable asking for help in smaller class size. In addition, the teacher better understands student strengths and weaknesses. Also, teachers are more apt to help students and it is easier to class become a group of friends. However, in large college, the quality of understanding with professor is not as good and attendance is less likely to count toward your grade. Nonetheless, some people think it is more important to learn from famous professors than to have a small class. According to Stephen Pemberton, class size can make a difference in your education. (“The importance of class size, Match 09, 2009). Conversely, according to Mark Montgomery, educational consultant, smaller classes are taught by the least effective teachers.

The class sizes are getting bigger because of schools not wanting to haves as many teachers on staff which results to crowded classrooms and that can make children uncomfortable at times when trying to learn. According to the article Why Class Size Matters, it states that class sizes across America are increasing and an estimated 58,000 teachers were laid off in September, which was the same time of enrollment increasing in the country (Leonie Haimson). Also in the same article it talks about how children actually perform higher when they are in smaller class sizes. It says, “Studies from Tennessee, Wisconsin, and states throughout the country have demonstrated that students who are assigned to smaller classes in grades K-3 rd do better in every way that can be measure: they score higher on tests, receive better grades, and exhibit improved attendance,” (Leonie Haimson) and this could also be true because in smaller class sizes the children get more of a chance to connect with their peers and also can have more one on one time with their teacher if they are struggling with a topic or subject. “…There are numerous studies showing that smaller classes are correlated with achievement gains and/or lower dropout rates in the middle and upper grades as well” (Leonie Haimson). This previous quote from the article shows

RING!RING! The sound of the school bell. Students go to their class filled with 40 students how can they learn with so many kids in their class? So class size does matter and has an impact on the students education

The article begins by summarizing over 25 years of work over class size reduction (CRS). It gives the reader some short and long term effects of smaller classes in earlier grades. Some of these effects include improved school engagement, reduced grade retention, and taking advanced course work in high school. The author continues by giving the reader several definitions for pupil to teacher ratio, class size, and average class size. It discussed that the average class size was between 14 and 16 students, which to me is odd because my biggest class is 26. The author then shows us what all small classes bring to the education equation. This information is broken into four sections: learning, teaching, classroom/context and other benefits. Some of these things include early intervention, effective teaching methods, variable room arrangements, and mixed ability grouping. The article wraps up but telling us how we can use small class sizes in cost-efficient ways.

If there were smaller classrooms then it would be easier to teach in a smaller room because there are less students. Grades are being affected something must be done.

Larger classroom size have a great impact on students learning capabilities. Small class size would help students that does not learn as fast as others. Having one teacher to approximately 15 students is a reasonable size class. The class session can be reduced to 30 minutes to allow small group learning and more hands on activities. Utilizing hands on activities will help students understand and learn the material

It is pretty apparent that in America, and elsewhere, most parents and general adults want what is best for their children in terms of education. This mindset can be seen reflected in the legislative aspects of our education system; there are many incentives pushing through the school boards and legislatures of our nation in order to attempt to further refine the education system. This is important as it allows us to refine traditional American education in order to improve upon it, and one of these attempt refinements and improvements has to deal with the subject of class size. For many people, large classroom sizes are a spawning ground for many issues with the education system: high distraction in the classroom, teacher inefficiency, among a plethora of others. Although it may seem regressive to favor small classes over bigger, more potentially diverse classes, small class sizes are more beneficial for education in that it is less distracting for the students and raises the possibility of staying focused, it potentially raises teacher-student relationships, and it allows for better results and better statistics coming from these smaller classes.

A small class is consider to be twenty students or less. In smaller schools there are not as many students so the teachers will be able to help the students more one on one. Students can have a better idea of the content that they are learning and even if they don’t understand then the could talk to the teacher to have a better understanding. In a recent study, students and teachers were randomly assigned to a small class, with an average of 15 students, or a regular class, with an average of 22 students. This large reduction in class size (7 students, or 32 percent) was found to increase student achievement by an amount equivalent to about 3 additional months of schooling four years later. Also, increasing the pupil/teacher ratio in the U.S. by one student would save at least $12 billion per year in teacher salary costs alone, which is roughly