Lessons for class size policy and research

Teachers and parents both believe that smaller is better for student achievement. The Gallup Polls (1979, 1988, 1989) show that a very large majority (75 to 80%) of these two influential interest groups believe that small classes are important to enhance student achievement. Research results have been mixed, and while recent research summaries (Odden, 1990; Slavin, 1990) indicate that a substantial (one-third or more) class size reduction in the elementary grades has some positive effect on achievement, it is not a large one. The kind of strong positive research results that would support teacher and parent preferences for small classes was reported by Glass and Smith (1978) and Glass, Cahen, Smith, and Filby (1982). But reanalysis of these summaries by Slavin shows that the substantial effect found by Glass was largely due to the inclusion of tutoring (class size of one) studies. Tutoring makes a big difference, but reducing class size by about a third (from 24 or 25 to 15 or 16) produces an average effect that is positive, but small (effect size of about .13) (Slavin, 1990). Project STAR found larger effects than most other well-designed studies done in the elementary grades. The Project STAR average effect size over both reading and math and over all four

Academic achievement · Class (philosophy · Class size · Educational research · Inclusion (mineral · Mathematics education · Political science · Reading (process · Student achievement · Computer Science · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · School Choice and Performance · Social Psychology

• Resources, Instruction, and Research

  Open Access•David K Cohen, Stephen W Raudenbush et al.•Educational Evaluation and Policy…•2003

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• It’s not just what you know, it’s who you know

  Open Access•Tracey E Rizzuto, Jared A LeDoux et al.•Social Psychology of Education•2008

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