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HOW TO MAKE SMALL CLASSES A REALITY

Elect Candidates Who Work for Reduced Class Size

A. Interview all candidates and be sure they understand the following points:

1. The difference between class size and pupil teacher ratio.

Class size is the number of students who regularly appear in a teacher's classroom and for whom that teacher is primarily responsible and accountable. Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) is a derived estimate commonly computed by dividing the number of students in a school by the number of professionals who work at or serve that school (e.g., counselors, special teachers, administrators, librarians, etc.). These differences are about 10. In a school with a PTR of 16:1 you will find class sizes of about 26.

2. Areas of concern where small classes can make a difference-

a. Financing

• fewer retainees (retainees cost double)
• fewer dropouts (annual income of a dropout is $5200 less than a high school graduate)
• creative use of space (portables, churches, empty stores, 2 compatible teachers and 30 students in one room)
• fewer discipline problems (less vandalism)

b. Enhanced Student Performance

• narrows the black/white achievement gap
• more attend college
• increased student participation in classroom and school activities
• increased student achievement on standardized tests

c. Teacher recruitment

• Small class size is a top priority for quality teachers.
• Small classes are an incentive that will draw quality teachers
• Small classes help reduce "burn out"

B. Endorse the candidates who advocate small classes.

C. Work for those candidates

1. Give money

2. Help in campaign headquarters

3. Bring friends into your home to meet the candidate

4. Advertise the candidates who advocate small classes

• Put a sign in your yard
• Put a bumper sticker on your car
• Encourage friends to do the same

State and Local Level Plans of Action

A. Establish state and local coalitions.

1. Identify decision makers

• state legislators
• state board of education

2. Identify supporters

• parent groups
• business leaders
• education leaders
• media- press, radio, tv

3. Support programs that reduce class size and support prevention-intervention approaches.

4. Help Districts to establish a policy that limits class size to 15 students for each teacher.

• Begin in schools that have been identified as failing and those schools with large numbers of students at-risk of academic failure
• Phase in class size reductions, starting with K-1 in the first year, grade two in the second year and grade three in the third year.
• Use reductions in class size to provide students with more individualized attention, with a focus on improving the all-important reading skills of children.
• Use the phase-in time to plan for facilities, personnel, and program adjustments.
• Intensify programs for recruiting and hiring teachers and staff, and provide additional training for teachers assigned to small classes. Train teachers and other school staff in the latest research on classroom management and other skills designed to improve their effectiveness in the classroom.
• Develop a system for disseminating best practices in small classroom instruction.
• Once developed, implement these class size reduction initiatives in grades four through eight.
  

B. Establish a timeline

How to Implement Small Classes

A. What is the most effective timeline?

Since research has shown that the small-class treatment is most beneficial when it begins when the youngster starts school, and then lasts at least three years (). The following timeline for class size reductions is recommended.

• Year 1: Reduce Kindergarten classes to 1:15 with a maximum size of 20
• Year 2: Reduce grades K and 1
• Year 3: Reduce grades K,1,2
• Year 4: Reduce grades K,1,2,3

• Have a committee of teachers determine the most effective use of existing building space.
• Have two certified teachers team teaching in a single classroom for either part of or the entire school day.
• Use classroom space in nearby churches.
• Rent empty space in nearby buildings.
• Establish partnerships with nearby businesses that will donate space.
• Establish a long-range building program.
• Hire an additional certified teacher for a grade level (e.g., provide three teachers for two third grade classes and distribute students equally among the 3 teachers to teach reading and math).
• Convert to a year-round schedule.

C. What are the cost saving factors of class size reduction?

1. Reduction of retention (every time a student fails the costs double)

• Number of students held back (retained) decreases
• Drop-out rates decrease

2. Improvement of student behavior in school

• Classroom disruptions decrease (more time for teaching)
• Vandalism costs decrease
• Required corrective actions (e.g., Saturday school or detention) decrease

3. Reduction of remediation and special projects

• Fewer expensive special projects required
• Shorter duration of intense concentration and for fewer students

4. Early identification of learning problems

• Special education programs reduced in later years
• Programs accurately "targeted" to most needy students

5. Improvement of teacher morale

• Increased attendance
• Reduced substitute costs
• Reduced "burn out"

6. Improvement of community, parent, and volunteer involvement

• Small classes attract parents and volunteers
• More field trips are possible (1 teacher and 2 parent volunteers can take the class on a field trip)

D. Who do you need to keep informed about your class-size reduction program?

• The profession
• Parents
• Media
• Policy makers

E. What information do you need to provide? Keep records and data on the following:

• Student data and characteristics (race, gender, SES, etc.),
• Anecdotal information from teachers,
• School-level data (size, services, accreditation, retentions, discipline, administration), test outcomes, etc.,
• Comparisons of your outcomes with prior performance of similar students in your school and system,
• Plan to collect follow-up information, such as drop-out rates, discipline referrals, and curriculum choices in later grades.

How to Set Up an Evaluation Plan for Your Class-Size Reduction Program

A. Decide the questions you want to answer.

• Are test scores better this year than last year?
• What is the impact on various groups (race, sex, SES, special ed.)?
• What happens to the retention rate in each grade?
• How is student behavior different (discipline, attendance)?
• Has teacher attendance, morale and/or perspective improved?
• Are teachers teaching differently? If so, how?
• What are the changes in parent involvement? · Does staff development include training for teaching in small classes?
• Are there long-term results from class-size reduction?

B. Use sound research methods.

• Determine if there are any differences between students and teachers participating in the evaluation and students and teachers who do not participate or have not participated in small classes in the past 3 years.
• Randomly assign students and teachers.
• Use pre- and post-tests.
• Establish a student baseline using students' test scores from the previous year. This will allow "benchmarking" against such things as state and national norms and as a comparison (over time) with other schools (in the same district or similar schools).

C. Collect data that can answer your questions.

• Use the scores from existing required tests (local and/or state). It is not advisable to add additional tests.
• Document parent concerns and problems.
• Document teacher concerns and problems.
• Document success stories from teachers, parents, and students.
• Document discipline referrals, attendance/tardiness, participation in school events.
• Document teacher attendance and health status.

D. Who do you need to keep informed about your class-size reduction program?

• The profession
• Parents
• Media
• Policymakers

Statement from The Coalition to Reduce Class Size
On Supreme Court Approval of Ballot Language

April 25, 2002
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Derek Newton
850-559-0125

We are delighted with today's court ruling on class size. It's obvious the Justices took their time with this issue and reached a sound, legal conclusion.

"Today the Supreme Court has cleared the path for real education reform in Florida," said Senator Kendrick Meek (D-Miami), the Chairman of the The Coalition to Reduce Class Size.

"This is a major victory for the Florida parents, teachers and students who have spent too many years in overcrowded classrooms - for them, we can finally declare, `help is on the way'," said Senator Meek.

The Coalition encourages all Floridians to join the fight for smaller classes by signing a petition to place the issue on the November 2002 ballot. Petitions can be downloaded over the Internet at www.SmallerClasses.org

As of today, more than 150,000 signed petitions have been collected. Slightly more than 488,000 completed signatures are required to be verified by August to qualify for the November ballot.

"There is no doubt that getting approval from the Court will increase our profile and assist us in raising the money we will need to make the final sprint to November," said Meek.

The Coalition would like to recognize the early commitment of local PTAs, state and national education organizations and our legal team for their outstanding assistance.

Closing the Achievement Gap

State Senator C.J. Prentiss (D-Cleveland), president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC), joined the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) in announcing an unprecedented national drive to create greater equity in education for African American students nationwide. Calling equity in education a "civil right yet unrealized," the NBCSL recently released its comprehensive study, Closing the Achievement Gap: Improving Educational Outcomes for African American Students, documenting the reasons for the persistence of the achievement gap, recommending solutions to the problem, and advancing a blueprint for legislative action that NBCSL members will undertake.

Because reducing class size benefits all students and has a dramatic effect on the academic performance of African-American and low-income students, NBCSL strongly urges states and districts to establish class-size reduction initiatives. In establishing recommendations for closing this gap, the NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS stressed the following:

Districts should establish a policy that limits class size to 15 students for
each teacher in schools that serve students at risk of academic failure.
This policy will:

· Phase in class size reductions starting with K-1 in the first year, grade two in the second year and grade three in the third year.
· Use reductions in class size to provide students with more individualized attention, with a focus on improving the all-important reading skills of children.
· Use the phase-in time to plan for facilities, personnel, and program adjustments.
· Intensify programs for recruiting and hiring teachers and staff, and provide additional training for teachers assigned to small classes. Train teachers and other school staff in the latest research on classroom management and other skills designed to improve their effectiveness in the classroom. Develop a system for disseminating "best practices" in small classroom instruction.
· Once developed, implement these class size reduction initiatives in grades four through eight.

• More Finish High School

• An adult without a high school diploma earns 42% less than an adult with a high school diploma (Northeast Adult Basic and Literacy Education Center

• Fewer are Retained

• School systems pay double for every grade a student repeats.

• Fewer Become Pregnant Teens

• Teen pregnancies cost U.S. taxpayers $6.9 billion dollars each year (Rutgers University). Costs are estimated at $20 billion per year when social, education and health services are included.

• Fewer Receive Welfare

• High school dropouts have an unemployment rate 4 times greater than that of high school graduates (Northeast Adult Basic and Literacy Education Center).

• Fewer Are Incarcerated

• The average annual cost of incarceration is approximately $40,000 per prisoner (The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).

Small Classes Will Attract and Retain Teachers

• Adquate teaching conditions will attract people to the profession.
• Small classes are more important to the majority of teachers than a pay raise.