Class
Size Reduction Articles
The
Class Size Debate
In this 2002 Economic Policy Institute publication,
economists Alan Krueger and Eric Hanushek debate the
merits of small classes and CSR research methodology.
Jennifer King addresses each author’s argument
and also looks at the policy implications of CSR research.
The introduction and ordering information are online.
What
Is The Trade Off Between Smaller Classes and Teacher
Quality?
In this National Bureau of Economics Research Working
Paper, authors Christopher Jepsen and Steven Rivkin
examine the effects of California’s CSR Program
on student achievement and teacher quality. They found
that smaller classes do raise third-grade reading and
math achievement, particularly for low-income students,
but the necessary expansion of the teaching force appears
to have led to a decrease in teacher quality in schools
serving predominantly African-American student bodies.
Small
Classes in American Schools: Research, Practice, and
Politics
In this article, author Jeremy Finn provides an overview
of the current status of class size reduction programs
in the U.S., summarizes the research base that provides
the motivation for districtwide and statewide class-size
reduction, calls attention to the misapplication of
the research in some contexts, discusses questions about
reduced classes that remain unanswered, and describes
current research into the long-term consequences of
small classes and efforts to explain why small classes
are effective.
Finn,
J. (2002). Small classes in American schools: Research,
practice, and politics. Phi Delta Kappan 83(7),
551–560. For more information on ordering this
article click here.
Small
Class Size and Its Effects
In this article, authors Biddle and Berliner review
seminal studies on class size and offer insight about
which conclusions are valid. This issue of Education
Leadership is devoted to class and school size.
Biddle, B.J., & Berliner, D.C. (2002). Small class
size and its effects. Educational Leadership, 59(5).
The
Enduring Effects of Small Classes
In this study, the authors analyzed achievement data
for STAR students in grades 4–8 and sought to
answer the following three questions:
- How
large are the effects of small classes relative to
the number of years students participate in those
classes?
- How
much does any participation in small classes in K–3
affect performance in later grades, when all classes
are full-size?
- How
much does the duration of participation in small classes
in K–3 affect the magnitude of the benefits
in later grades (4, 6, and 8)?
Finn,
J., Gerber, S., Achilles, C. (2001). The enduring effects
of small classes. Teachers College Record, 103(2).
Would
Smaller Classes Help Close The Black-White Achievement
Gap?
In this March 2001 paper, Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore
examine STAR data to determine the effect of small class
attendance in the early grades on standardized test
scores through eighth grade, on whether students took
the SAT or ACT college entrance exams and their performance,
criminal conviction rates, and teenage birth rates.
For
more information, please contact Art Hood at 800-755-3277.
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