Class Size and Public Policy: Politics and Panaceas

Abstract

This document reviews the issue of class size reduction, analyzes the evidence from research on the relationship between class sire and educational improvement, and cites findings supporting the view that the costs of class size reduction outweigh the benefits and that reducing class size to improve student achievement is inconsistent with the push to enhance teacher professionalism by placing greater demands on teachers. After an introductory overview, the following topics are discussed: (1) the context for reform; (2) the history of the debate; (3) the current debate; (4) perspectives on workload, including statistics on pupil/teacher ratio, nupils per class, pupil load, and staff ratios; and (5) sifting the evidence from standardized tests, state comparisons, and international comparisons. This is followed by a lesson for America on classroom culture and class size based on comparisons with the Japanese education system, and a discussion of what teachers can do to manage large classes. Forty-three references are included, and computations are appended. (TE) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ***********************************************************************