Florida voters take note! The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a report this week that's chock full of interesting findings about schools and reform strategies around the world. Among the more interesting results, the OECD report found that class size reduction is not the cure-all reform that many want it to be. According to the report, "class size makes a small difference, but doesn't have a substantial effect. There are other kinds of interventions that can have much more powerful effects." Instead, policymakers should consider giving schools the freedom to funnel limited resources into reform strategies that will have the greatest payoff in terms of student achievement. Watch this space for more on the OECD findings.
"Class size overrated, research suggests," by Heather Sokoloff, National Post, September 17, 2003