Positive Effect Of Smaller Class Sizes On Education

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.

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

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

While placed in a big classroom can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. According to the text, Does Class Size Matter? Teachers, parents of students, and the principal of New York’s Forest Hills High School, believes that big classrooms

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

There are so many benefits to schools having smaller class sizes and today I am going to talk to you specifically about the benefits of increased student engagement, higher academic performance, and increased classroom environments.

I believe that the smaller the classes the more educational benefits the students will get and be able to do better on their test and just be able to comprehend more. Teachers also teach better to students if they have a smaller class. Students also behave better in smaller classrooms because they can’t hide and mess around in the back of the class. However, larger classrooms can teach children independence and self-motivation.

Lowering class size has a direct impact on student test scores. In aa study done in San Diego, an 11% in english proficiency was shown in grades K-2 across 30 of the poorest districts in the city when class size was reduced to just 16 students according to Rose Arce in, “Does class size matter?” Furthermore, according to Everyone knows students learn more in smaller classes, or do they? “Researchers generally agree that smaller classes are linked to educational benefits… Among the positives are better test scores…”. Both of these examples

By and large, this article on the long-term effects of small classes presented relevant information in a comprehensive manner in contrast to the first article regarding youth violence. Although the results were confounding to me due to the statistical information, I appreciate how each section was arranged, particularly the literature review, titled, Research on the Effects of Class Size (Nye, Hedges, & Konstantopoulos, 2001). In addition, the article clearly stated the conclusions with providing possible hypotheses explaining the reason why smaller classes obtained higher achievement and particularly in minority students. As we learned in the class PowerPoints, theories should be falsifiable and even provide future research possibilities as

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.

The amount of students in a classroom can make a difference when it comes to a student's ability to learn. The general consensus among students and teachers is that the smaller the classroom, the more time a teacher will have to be with a single student, thus giving a student better education. But, is this commonly held belief base of facts, or assumptions. Research on the effects of class size reduction has linked small class sizes with a variety of cognitive and non-cognitive benefits for students and teachers, both short and long-term, especially when class sizes are reduced in the early grades. In fact, class size reduction is one of only a handful of K12 reforms cited by the Institute of Education Sciences (2003) as proven to increase student achievement through rigorous evidence. Reducing class size is among an even smaller number of education reforms that have been shown to narrow the achievement gap. Its benefits are particularly pronounced for lower-income students and children of color, who experience two to three times the gains from smaller classes. Smaller classes have also been found to have a positive impact on school climate, safety and suspension rates, and parent engagement, especially in schools with large numbers of disadvantaged children.

With the emergence of small-class teaching, some believed that a significant reduction in class size can help those struggling students to receive more help from the teachers. As there are fewer students in a class, the teacher is able to direct her attention and provide help to specific students. Smaller classes also give teachers a room to adopt student-centred approach. According to Gilman (2003), individual

Communication is a key player in the aspect of education. Teachers and professors at times do not have a personal bond with their students, often causing the students to not learn as much or believing and succeeding at slacking off. This can happen with large class sizes. Larger class sizes as to smaller class sizes often times leave the students wondering if their teacher even cares about them or if they are even learning the topic at hand. Coming from a class size of 23 all throughout high school, I never knew the full advantages of being nearly 20:1 with my teacher. Realizing that was in fact a blessing later when I attended college to realize some of my fellow colleagues came from large class sizes some even reaching the 3 digit mark. Student’s education experience differs depending on class sizes.

Across the nation, the main goal of an education system is to watch their students succeed. However, there are many factors that influence this. For decades it has been thought that reducing the class size would increase the potential for student’s success, but there are alternatives that impact student’s success more than class size does. The concern with the debate is due to our population continuously increasing; therefore, the debate on reducing class size must evolve into how students help students learn, adapt and develop new skills in any given class size, thus stressing the importance of other factors taking presence over class size in a student’s success. Currently, there are parents and students who are firm believers that