Class Size, Pro and Con

Average class sizes have fallen steadily over the past 50+ years, yet academic achievement has completely stagnated for 30+ years -- additional evidence that reducing class sizes is one of the least effective ways to improve student achievement -- see www.tilsonfunds.com/Personal/Classsize&teacherpay.pdf   and the article below, which documents the disastrous program in California -- massive cost and zero benefit:

Since  the program started at a statewide level, it exacerbated California's teacher shortage problem, which resulted in a rise of the number of new and non-credentialed teachers, who otherwise may not have been hired as teachers, said Christopher Jepsen, associate director of the Center for Business and  Economics Research at the University of Kentucky, who has examined the  issue.

Many of the non-credentialed teachers ended up teaching in the  poor and urban areas, where the class-size reduction program could have helped  the most, according to a study of which Bohrnstedt was a lead  author.
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Locals: Class-size reduction has benefits, drawbacks
By Amanda Dyer <mailto:amandad@lodinews.com>
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Last updated: Saturday, November 3, 2007 6:58 AM PDT
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2007/11/03/news/3_class_071103.txt

To many Lodi teachers the issue is clear; reduce class sizes and get better teachers and better students.