Smaller+Classroom+Sizes

__Basic Summary of Trend__ Efforts to reduce class size, particularly in the primary grades, has been at the forefront of discussions about education for decades. It is one of the most researched topic in education. By 1950, there had been over 250 different studies that dealt with classroom size. Since the 1980’s many states have taken initiatives to transform their schools to accommodate smaller classrooms including Arizona, Indiana, and Tennessee. Many people believe that having a lower student to teacher ratio will enable the students to perform better in school. The teacher can focus more on each student's capabilities rather than having to lecture and even control a large number of pupils. This trend has been controversial, however, because smaller classroom sizes mean more teachers and more classrooms. For those that are concerned about tax increases, this would be a problem. Also, many of the studies conducted have not proven to be completely consistent so it is somewhat inconclusive whether or not smaller classroom sizes will actually do the trick. It is assumed that the smaller teacher to student ratio would be better supported in conjunction with other initiatives as well.

__Key Manifestations__ In recent years, talk has turned to action as at least 21 states and the federal government has initiated class-size-reduction (CSR) initiatives. During the mid-1990s, the California Legislature passed the CSR incentive program to provide funds to schools statewide that set class size to 20 students in grades K-3. The Tennessee's Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project states that teachers reported that smaller classes increased their ability to monitor student behavior and learning, gave more immediate and more individualized re-teaching, offered more enrichment, achieved a better match between their instruction and each child's ability, gained more detailed knowledge of each child's needs as a learner, and used a variety of instructional approaches to meet learners' needs. Also, while middle-class students benefit from lower class sizes, children of high-poverty communities profit most substantially. New research even suggests that low income students who have experienced smaller class sizes in the early grades gain lasting benefits, including a much greater probability of graduating from high school.

__Key Personnel__ //The American Federation of Teachers// - strong advocate for reducing class size //Dr. Helen Pate-Bain// – consultant and Board chair for Health and Education Research Operative Services Inc., who has done much research since the 1980’s involving smaller classroom sizes. //Tennessee////'s Project STAR// - designed to determine the short- and long-term effects of small class size in grades K-3 on student performance.

__Why/How a trend?__ Having smaller classroom sizes is a significant trend in America in the past few decades because it has been proven effective in many studies. It is clear that having more teachers will help students learn, especially those that are disabled and disadvantaged, and so it now just a question of how it can be possible. Adequate funding is a major concern that needs to be dealt with, but it has been shown that people are willing to pay the price as long as research continues to show that it is truly effective. Teachers also need to make sure that they realize this opportunity and take advantage of it by paying closer attention to their student's needs. Furthermore, while smaller classroom sizes have proven to be effective in many cases, it is not only this initiative that needs to take place in order for there to be a significant change in the quality of education. Other initiatives such as offering small school communities, rewarding teacher quality providing, furnishing resources to help struggling students, and voluntary all-day kindergarten will all help cooperatively to improve student’s achievement.

__Links__ [|http://www.aft.org/topics/classsize/] [|http://www.heros-inc.org/classsizeresearch.htm] [|http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?archive=true&article=37341&paper=67&cat=137]