Research on elementary pupils at school shows that small classes constitute not more than twenty students whereas, students in high school, the composition of the class is bigger than lower classes. There are some similarities and distinctions in what determines small or large classes of college writing institutions. On top of the unclarity regarding how many students should constitute the class size, there are various strategies in existence for assigning the size of the class. Moreover, there is a direct consequence of teacher workload and class size (Whitehurst and Matthew 3).
Background
The size of the class is among the small number of factors affecting the K-12 system of education because it influences the ability of the student to learn and has been a subject of legislative actions. Legislative requirements on the maximum size of the class have gained popularity over time. In recent times, more than twenty four states have incentivized or made it mandatory for the reduction of the size of the class in schools.
The current fiscal reports have compelled districts and states to rethink their policy on class size ratio (CSR) because of the high-cost implications of maintaining smaller classes. For instance, increasing the teacher/pupil ratio in the United States by a single student would lead to savings of not less than $12 billion per annum in the salaries costs of the teachers alone. The fiscal estimates are equivalent to the expenditure on Title 1 of the Secondary and Elementary Education Act- the federal government highest single K-12 program on education.
Thesis
There must be a reduction in the size of the classes in schools because the currently large constituted classes are not delivering the high quality of education required for the current competitive world.
Academic Performance
Research illustrates that schoolchildren learning in reduced size classes record better results in all the assignments of all the subjects in comparison to their colleagues schooling in large classes. Reduced size classes give the pupils the opportubity to be ahead of their counterparts studying in the large classroom by almost two months in content knowledge, and their score on standardized assignments also tends to be higher. Although much of the studies have focused on the collective class performance of the students instead of individual performance, there are strong indications that cascading the analysis to the personal level; the results will still show an impressive level of improvement. (Jepsen and Steven 223).
For minority and students who English literacy, smaller classes are convenient for them because it enhances their academic performance. The size of the class also shapes scripting instructions of quality with college level notwithstanding. Smaller classes are critical for the students to obtain adequate response on numerous drafts. Not surprisingly, lettering classes that are small in size also increase retention at the level of the college (Jepsen and Steven 223).
Student Engagement
Much as academic performance is essential, it's not the only yardstick for measuring student success. With regards to the student engagement, the findings show consistency in the significance of small classes. There is a higher likelihood of students talking and interacting in the more modest classes compared to the vast classes. Moreover, the pupils are much more likely to engage the teacher instead of just listening passively in class. Not surprisingly, these pupils describe their classes with the tutors as more interactive and informative than their peers who learn in big classes.
Students in small classes do not have many cases of disruptive behavior, and the teachers thus spend less time on correcting indiscipline, leaving a significant amount of time for teaching. Precisely, the teachers handling smaller classes can quickly detect and track the weaknesses in the response of students to learning and then take remedial actions before the problem gets worse or even affects the whole class. There is also a higher possibility that in smaller classes, the students complete their assignments in time and get more time for interaction with computers and technology (Jepsen and Steven 226).
Long-Term Success
The benefits of maintaining smaller classes outweigh the student engagement and test scores. On top of the longer-term merits of small sizes of the class in the preliminary grades, the benefits also include continued life and academic success. Moreover, reduction of the class size can have a positive implication on socioeconomic factors such as improved citizenship, earning potential, and a decrease in crime and the dependence of welfare. The other advantage of learning in a smaller class is the is the increase in the chances of attending college. The benefit means so much to the disadvantaged and unrepresented populations. Whereas the increased probability for all students is 2.7%, the change stands at 5.4% for students of African descent and 7.3% for pupils in the most impoverished third of the school rankings in the U.S (Mathis 2).
The Cost Factor
Financial aspect is among the opposing views against establishing reduced sizes of classes. District schools reckon that they cannot meet the cost implications of reducing the size of the class. Nonetheless, their arguments not how valid does take into the account the cost implications of students leaving public schools and opting for private ones. Research shows that the size of the class plays a prominent role in the decision of the parents to send their kids to privately owned schools. In spite of the enormous emphasis that public schools place on test scores, parents show little interest in the scores, no matter how high, when choosing a school for their children. Among the top reasons that parents give for the preference of private schools are the small sizes of the class. With the small and manageable class, the parents are assured of increased individual attention for their children. The other reasons that guardians of these young ones advance when choosing a school is the presence of a conducive learning environment, better student discipline and the improved safety of the students. All these factors are made possible by the small size of the class (Mathis 2).
Teacher Retention
Not surprising, the quality of the teacher is the most significant variable in the student’s academic success. The recruitment and retention of best teachers have gained significance in the recent past because school districts impose requirements for hiring and retention of teachers on good student test scores and the overall performance. The size of the class plays a prominent role in the retention of high performing teachers because those handling large classes have a higher probability of seeking other positions. On the contrary, administrators do make a common mistake of increasing the class size of the performing teachers with the view of improving the test scores of the students instead of motivating them by decreasing the size of their class. That in most cases does not yield the expected results because assigning the teachers more students per class reduces the prospects of giving each student the much-needed individual attention (Mathis 5).
Another benefit of smaller classes is the ease of containing the spread and effects of a disease in case of an outbreak in a school. Isolating a few individuals or even an entire small class will not cost a lot of resources compared to dealing with a large class with multiple students. The cost of treatment or vaccination is also manageable for the school administration unlike having a large class affected by a strange illness (Mathis 6).
Despite the many benefits of smaller classes, there is also the need to allocate state resources carefully. Reducing the size of the class relies on the availability of funds during budget-making process. The cost of hiring more teachers and constructing more classrooms for the students will impede the implementation of smaller classroom requirements no matter how good the benefits may appear to be. Therefore, it’s prudent to judiciously weigh the costs and benefits in the quest to roll out class size reduction policy (Mathis 7).
Conclusion
The size of the class is a vital factor in the student learning. There should be more funding towards research to gain full insights on the conclusive effects of the size of the class on the quality of education. Nonetheless, the existing statistics show that not only special needs students, younger students and those at risk only benefit from smaller classes, but nearly all the category of students reap the benefits of reducing class size.
Works Cited
Jepsen, Christopher, and Steven Rivkin. "Class size reduction and student achievement the potential tradeoff between teacher quality and class size." Journal of human resources 44.1 (2009): 223-250.
Mathis, W. J. "Research-based options for education policymaking: The effectiveness of class size reduction." Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center, University of Colorado- Boulder (2016): 2-7
Whitehurst, Grover J., and Matthew M. Chingos. "Class Size: What Research Says and What It Means for State Policy." Brookings Institution (2011): 3-12
