1. Angelo Bradley Taikein Cooper Parita Shah
Class Size
Angelo Bradley
Taikein Cooper
Parita Shah

2. Just a few questions…
About how many students did you have in your classes in elementary school?
Did you also have a teachers’ assistant?
Would you rather be in a small classroom with a less qualified teacher or a larger classroom with a highly qualified teacher?

3. What is Class Size Reduction (CSR) Policy?
A policy to reduce the number of pupils per classroom
Largest CSR program currently is in California
Usually it requires a class size of 15, 18, or 20 students
Focuses on class size reduction in grades 1-3

4. Two Models of CSR program
Implementation of the CSR program in every single school in the nation.
Implementation of the CSR program in schools with high percentages of low-income students.

5. Operational (Monetary) Costs
Dependent upon the number of additional classrooms needed
Number of additional classrooms depends on the specifications of the program such as: class size, grade level, eligibility, phase-in period, measurement level, and flexibility
A less flexible program calls for more classrooms which requires extra teachers and resources  increased costs
For example, reducing class size to 15 costs twice as much as reducing class size to 18.

6. Issues with CSR programs
CSR programs lead to a need to hire more teachers which may increase teacher salary and possibly reduce the average quality of teachers hired.
If these new classrooms are not fully financed, schools may be compelled to meet CSR targets by reallocating resources from other uses.
Teaching may be less effective if spaces used are not permanent classrooms

7. S.B. 1777
California legislation passed this education reform initiative in 1996
$1 billion project
Reduce the number of students in grades K-3
Financial incentive catalyzed school implementation immediately
Unprecedented

8. Results Students in smaller classes do perform slightly better
Helped students in primary grades more
More teachers, but less qualified
More negative consequences than benefits
Disadvantaged students are being hurt the most

9. Results Teachers did not alter their teaching methods
California’s budget is no longer a surplus
Researchers hope that the benefits will continue to increase

10. Project STAR- Overview
Project STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio) was a class size experiment conducted in various Tennessee school districts
Districts had to agree to participate for 4 years and allow site visitations for verification of class sizes, interviewing, and data collection, including extra student testing

11. Project STAR- Methods
7,000 students were distributed into one of three classes: 1, a small class with between 13 and 17 students; 2, a regular class with between 22 and 25 students; and 3, a regular class with a permanent teacher’s aide
The students were monitored from grades K-3 and were subject to the extra testing and special class set-ups for all four years

12. Project STAR- Results
According to the data, small classes had their greatest effects for low-achieving students in reading but not so much in mathematics—where it was actually found that smaller classes helped higher achieving students more
Despite this discrepancy, the statistical data collected throughout Project STAR are seen as proof, however disputable, that class size reduction does in fact have a positive effect of academic achievement

13. Opponents to the Results of Project STAR
Tom Loveless and Frederick Hess, members of the so-called “Common Sense” school reform group, believe that Project STAR leaves out a lot of important information that should have been included:
1. The effects of reducing class size by 2 or 3 students as opposed to 10
2. Whether or not the benefits found in Tennessee public schools would be/could be replicable on a broad scale
3. The grade range under watch, K-3, does not provide any conclusive information in regards to achievement gains in later grades

14. Opponents to the Results of Project Star (cont’d)
Hess and Loveless also examine the trade-offs which are made because educational resources are never infinite:
1. Resources used to implement smaller classes cannot be used elsewhere in terms of bringing in teachers of the highest caliber or providing the best of current technologies to all students
2. The need to hire more teachers will quickly dilute the quality of teachers at any given school since quality will eventually have to give way to quantity

15. Discussion Questions
What could be the possible mechanism that enables smaller classes to help "low-achieving" students succeed?
Why does this mechanism only seem to produce desirable effects for reading/English classes but not for mathematics classes?
Are there any other ways to appeal to this mechanism that are lower cost than reducing class sizes?
The California Size Reduction's goal was to reduce class size which affected the number of teachers that were needed.  Is it effective to reduce class size, and also sacrifice the integrity of teachers because of the demand?