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(507) 292-9353 ambassadoracademy@charter.netExcerpt From The Education Digest 2001
by Cheryl Riggins
When Ruby Price became Principal of Highland Elementary School, in Salem, Oregon, she was determined to make student learning the centerpiece of a plan to turn the tide for her 600 pre-K-5 students. In 1997, Price began a four-tier plan to create smaller learning communities within the school to improve instruction. Since Highland went to smallgroup instruction, the percentage of third-graders reading at or above grade level has increased from 19 to 81%. According to Price, greatly decreased discipline referrals have allowed her more time for instructional leadership. Her teachers have expressed higher job satisfaction and work together more closely. "Within the smaller group settings, children can become more successful," says Price. "The principal isn't putting out a lot of fires because students are engaged and their needs are being met."
Cheryl Riggins. (2001, December). Smaller learning settings help our kids. The Education Digest, 67(4), 31-32. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 94207286).
From the Journal Childhood Education 2008
Januszka, C., & Dixon-Krauss, L.
Experimental Analysis of Class Size
Project STAR. In 1985, Lamar Alexander, the governor of Tennessee, led an initiative to assess the usefulness of having small class sizes in the primary grades. He authorized funds to conduct an experimental study of this issue, known as Project Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio (Project STAR). The project used random assignment of students and teachers to three types of classes: 1) a small class of 13-17 students, 2) a regular class with 22-25 students, or 3) a regular class with an aide to assist the teacher. The program lasted four years, following students from kindergarten through 3rd grade. All groups in the study received the same curriculum and materials. The sample was large, with approximately 6,400 pupils participating. Results from the study showed that students in small classes did better than their counterparts in larger classes on subject area tests in reading, math, science, social studies, and spelling. Minority students also made higher gains in smaller classes. In addition to the academic improvements, teachers were able to give more individualized attention to students, which helped to decrease the amount of behavior problems (Achilles, 2003; Bracey, 1995; Mosteller, 1995).
Lasting Benefits Study. The Lasting Benefits Study used an experimental analysis to evaluate the long-term benefits of reduced class size on student achievement. This study was a three-year follow-up (1989-1991) that tracked the progress of more than 4,500 students from Project STAR. The progress of students in the experimental group was monitored when they returned to classes of average size. Findings from the study indicated that students who were taught in small size classes in the early grades performed better than their peers when they returned to regular size classes (Mosteller, 1995).
Burke County Initiative. In 1991, a pilot study on the effects of reduced class sizes in the elementary grades was conducted in the Burke County Schools in North Carolina. In the first year of implementation, the superintendent reduced 1st-grade class sizes in four elementary schools to 15 students per class. In the following years, all of the 1st-grade classes and some of the 2nd- and 3rd-grade classes were added to the study, and the teachers also received specialized staff development in reading, math, and science. These treatments were based on the rationale that increased teacher training combined with lower class sizes would make the most difference in student achievement.
The Burke County Initiative was a quasi-experimental study that was analyzed by matching the students in the experimental schools (small classes) to students in the control schools (average size classes) following treatment. Students were matched on gender, socioeconomic status, teacher experience, and test scores (Egelson, Harman, & Achilles, 1996). Results showed that the students in the smaller classes significantly outperformed the control group on reading and math tests (Egelson et al., 1996).
Januszka, C., & Dixon-Krauss, L.. (2008). Class Size: A Battle Between Accountability and Quality Instruction. Childhood Education, 84(3), 167-170. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1440054291).
Excerpt from The Chronicle of Higher Education 2009
By Stephen J. Ceci and Spyros Konstantopoulos
By reducing elementary-school classes from 23 students to 15, achievement, as measured by standardized exams like the Stanford Achievement Test, increases about 7 percent on average. And the longer students are in smaller classes, the greater their achievement gain is.
In fact, when placed in smaller classes, children in the top 10 percent of the score distribution often gain two to four times more than those in the bottom 10 percent. The result is that even though all students make gains in smaller classes -- including the lowest-scoring students -- the highest-scoring students make bigger gains.
STEPHEN J. CECI, & SPYROS KONSTANTOPOULOS. (2009, January). It's Not All About Class Size. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(21), A.30. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1643398531).
Research and Case Studies on Class Size and Teacher/Student Ratio
