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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
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Year 2: Reduce grades K and 1
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Year 3: Reduce grades K,1,2
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Year 4: Reduce grades K,1,2,3
B.
How can necessary classroom space be provided?
- 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
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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.
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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.
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Small
Classes in K-3 Will:
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Save
Children
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AND |
Save
Money
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- 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
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- School systems
pay double for every grade a student repeats.
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- Fewer Become
Pregnant Teens
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- 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.
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- High school
dropouts have an unemployment rate 4 times greater than that of
high school graduates (Northeast Adult Basic and Literacy Education
Center).
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- The average
annual cost of incarceration is approximately $40,000 per prisoner
(The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice).
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Small Classes
Will Attract and Retain Teachers
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