Does Class Size Matter

Students were given the basic necessities in the intercity schools and the environment in the classes were in horrible conditions for students to be able to pay attention in a classroom. In the podcast “The Problem We All Live with” a reporter named Elisa Crouch followed a Normandy High School honor student and as she went into his AP English class she noticed the horrible environment where the class was being taught, Crouch informs “We went into AP English, and it’s held in a science lab. The classroom across the hall, where it should be held, smells like mildew and the ventilation system doesn’t work” (Podcast 2). The school facility in the Normandy School district was not in good conditions for students to be able to concentrate and learn while being in school. This harms the students because they aren’t given a healthy school facility where they spend most of their day. Marginalized students’ education is harmed in several communities and is not given the opportunity to have a well environment like the students in a rich community have. The intercity students were harmed by the way the school did not provide a well-being environment for them to be able to study and

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.

What is considered a small class size verses a large one? Different research teams displayed different terms for class sizes. This detail can make an enormous difference in the researcher’s outcome. Project STAR defined small classroom sizes into two categories: 13 to 17 students, one teacher, and 22 to 26 taught by a teacher and teacher aide. A larger

Her grades began to suffer and her mother watched in pain, not knowing what to do. The article goes on to explain how “class sizes are rising throughout the nation. In Queens, New York the number of students in a classroom has risen from 20 students to 32. McAllen, Texas reported having 50 students in their classes and a Las Vegas kindergarten teacher had 41 students.”

Class size is a very popular topic that is greatly research through out educational settings. Class size deals with how many students are in the classroom at once. Class size can vary greatly. It can depended on the location of the school, where the more rural areas have only one high school while in a city environment there could be twenty-three high schools in one area. Location also depends on the amount of population in that area. Class size also can depend on the level of schooling. Such as in a major university there could be two hundred students in one class, while in a local elementary school there is only eighteen students in one class. Class size can depend on what kind of class is being taught. In

At overcrowded schools, material issues resulting from greater class sizes directly impact the classroom. Quantified into state spending per student, resources grow increasingly strained with each additional student. A 10-minute online activity becomes a 20-minute activity in a class where there are not enough Chromebooks, requiring students

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

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

In every teacher or parent survey the number one thing that most parents and teachers are worried about is class size because most adults want their student or kid to have a small class size so then he or she gets all the support they can. New York city schools, has said class size and teaching improvement is something very important because having a big amount of students in one class will be a distraction for others. Many schools agree. Overcrowding schools is a big

Reduced class sizes can show better behavior in students and earlier improvement of grades.In smaller classes, teachers have a better chance to get to know the student more, so there are less chances that the student will feel like need to act and lash out. Since the teacher and pupil will get to know each other better, the teacher can take the time to discover what areas the student needs help in and can make more of an effort to help the student fix those needs in a smaller, less crowded environment. (Rios, Robert J).According to a survey done by Mitchell and Mitchell in 1999, students in grades K-3 that were placed in smaller classes scored better on achievement tests in reading and mathematics than students in large classes did. Having smaller classes in kindergarten through third grade creates the most academic improvement in students. Reading and Mathematics are the subjects that the most information is retained in that sticks with students in older years. Also, students of minority

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

Yes, class size does matter.A size of a class matter because if its too big of a class its harder to control and gives less attention to individuals. If a class size is smaller it is easier to control and when a individual needs help it is easier to go on one on one than when you have a large class. In paragraph 2 in "Everyone knows students learn more in smaller classes, or do they?" says "lowering class sizes means hiring more teachers."If a class sizes lowers or rises then schools could benefit or not benefit.

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.

of the class sizes in the younger grade levels (Final FY 2001 1). Yet, there are still

Many parents feel their children are not being challenged enough in public schools. Some of these children are doing well but clearly could do more, could be stretched intellectually. From their parents' point of view, they spend far too much time watching television, wandering around the mall, or playing games on their computers. Many parents are consequently drawn to private schools because of the academic rigor that comes with smaller classes, more personal attention, and teachers who nurture and promote each child's talents. There is no question that private schools offer smaller classes than most public schools in the country. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1998-99 the median student-teacher ratio in NAIS schools was 9 to 1 while that in public schools was 17 to 1. Smaller classes make it difficult for a student to hide or slide. In a room with only 14 other students, it is difficult to remain uninvolved or consistently unprepared. Teachers can get to know 15 students much better and faster than 30. Smaller classes promote more faculty member-student interaction, and most kids