The title really says it all in the latest Center for American Progress report, The False Promise of Class-Size Reduction. Author Matthew Chingos highlighted research on class-size reduction (CSR) and found that placing students in smaller classes had no real impact on student achievement. This is especially problematic due to the exorbitant costs that CSR imposes. Twenty-four states including Ohio have or recently had policies that require schools to reduce class sizes (the Buckeye State just repealed class-size mandates imposed by the last governor). Previous legislation required class sizes as low as 15 (per one teacher), but provided no funding for schools to incur the additional costs imposed by CSR.
Under CSR, schools are often forced to hire new teachers, as well as build new facilities to accommodate an increase in the number of classes. This places additional strain on districts to find resources and personnel. Although teachers and parents generally support smaller class sizes because they are easier to manage and provide students with more individual interaction with the teacher, Chingos cites research showing that teacher effectiveness, not class size, is the chief in-school determinant of student achievement. He proposes that states and districts might benefit by redirecting resources from class size reduction to teacher quality-focused initiatives, as this could simultaneously cut costs and boost student achievement. Additionally, Chingos suggests that districts interested in accessing the benefits of additional individualized instruction might employ the lower-cost option of using new technologies that tailor lessons to individual students instead of the expensive practice of hiring multiple new teachers to achieve smaller class sizes.
With weak evidence that CSR is effective, and schools being forced to make do with limited resources, states should undo CSR policies and free districts up to reward the best teachers for taking on larger class sizes, an idea that is currently in the governor’s budget proposal.
The
False Promise of Class-Size Reduction
Center for American
Progress
Matthew M. Chingos
April 2011