[Download] "Crowd Control: An International Look at the Relationship Between Class Size and Student Achievement. (Research)." by Education Next ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Crowd Control: An International Look at the Relationship Between Class Size and Student Achievement. (Research).
- Author : Education Next
- Release Date : January 22, 2003
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 195 KB
Description
REDUCING CLASS SIZES IS ONE OF TODAY'S MOST popular education reform strategies. The Education Commission of the States estimates that such efforts cost states $2.3 billion during the 1999-00 school year alone. The federal government contributed another $1.6 billion in 2000-01 toward meeting the Clinton administration's goal of decreasing class size nationwide in the early grades to no more than 18 students. During the past year or so, the deteriorating condition of state budgets and the Bush administration's new emphasis on accountability have made class-size reduction less of a priority. Yet it remains popular among parents, teachers, and the teacher unions, which often promote it as an alternative to vouchers. The motivation for reducing class size is intuitive: with smaller classes, teachers should be able to devote more time to each student, both in the classroom and in giving feedback on homework and tests. The concern is at least threefold, First, reducing class size is remarkably expensive, since it requires hiring more personnel. There may be less costly reforms that are at least as effective as class-size reduction. Second, hiring more teachers may dilute the quality of the workforce, thereby negating any gains among the students of good teachers. Finally, the intuitive relationship between class size and teachers' effectiveness may not actually hold true--teachers may be no more successful with 18 students than with 23.