In an effort to become more competitive in the global market, Colombia, as many other Latin American countries, has declared English the dominant foreign language to be taught in schools and universities across the country. To support this measure, in the last 16 years, the government, through its National Ministry of Education, has launched a…

Tennessee's Project STAR, a randomized experiment involving almost 12,000 pupils, demonstrated convincingly that small classes in the early elementary (K-3) grades increase pupil performance, reduce the test-score achievement gap between or among different social groups, and can have long-lasting effects. The benefits are greater for minority…

The California class size reduction program provided schools with cash rewards for K-3 classes of 20 or fewer students. I show how program rules made it possible for schools to save money by using mixed-grade classes to meet class size reduction obligations while maintaining larger average class sizes. I also show that this smoothing of students…

Discusses the team teaching process developed in the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, resulting from the Nevada Legislature's mandate to reduce class size to a 15:1 ratio. Describes the nature of team relationships and how teachers came to teach in a team situation. Advises teacher input in team partner selection as essential to…

This report presents data from the 1999-2000 Detroit Public Schools Class-Size Reduction (CSR) Program Teacher, Administrator, and Parent Survey. The CSR Program promoted district-wide opportunities to reduce class size in grades 1-3. Thirty schools received from 3-15 additional teachers in order to reduce class size to a 17:1 teacher-student…

Indiana spent more than $100 million in past three years on Prime Time, program to reduce class size in the primary grades. Data show that in classrooms with 18 to 22 students, the atmosphere is less hectic, teacher morale is higher, instruction is more individualized, and students (particularly those at risk) are better achievers. Includes five…

This study examined the impact of the second year of the federal class-size reduction (CSR) program in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina. The 23 participating schools in the WCPSS had from 22% to 51% of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. In the second year, the CSR program was expanded from grades 1…

This report for the 1982-83 school year summarizes the results of Project Primetime, an experimental program to improve students' basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic by reducing class size from kindergarten through the second grade. Three major results emerged from the study: (1) Students in the project scored higher on standardized…

California's K-3 Class Size Reduction Initiative (1996) called for a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. Passage of this initiative created an unexpected teacher shortage and presented California teacher-education faculties with several dilemmas having long-term implications. When districts hired uncertified student teachers on an emergency-permit basis,…

Discusses Project STAR, a four-year study of class size reduction on student achievement in the early elementary grades. The paper reviews research on class size, puts Project STAR in context, describes its design and introduces several articles noting research implications for policy debate about class size. (SM)

Tennessee's Project STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) randomly assigned 7,000 K-3 students to small classes (13-17 pupils), regular classes (22-26 pupils), and regular-with-aide classes. Small classes ameliorate large schools' effects, reduce grade retention and discipline problems, benefit minority students substantially, allow students…

Tennessee's four-year Project STAR provided one-third class size reduction in early elementary school. Small class students in all types of schools scored significantly higher than regular class students in reading and math. The article discusses lessons learned and cost-effective ways to reduce class size. (SM)

In 1986, the Tennessee legislature authorized the Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project. At the end of the school year, interviews were held with teachers from kindergarten through third-grade levels on their perceptions of teaching either in a small class, in a regular class with a full-time aide, or in a regular class. The following…

The California Department of Education encourages its school districts to make every effort to reduce classroom size and maintain the physical size of 960 square feet for elementary schools and 1,350 square feet for kindergartens. This report examines the Code of Regulations relative to classroom size in elementary, kindergarten, and special…

The goal of California's classroom size reduction (CSR) program is to have 20 or fewer students in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms. Districts receive $650 for each student in a reduced classroom. Describes how districts implemented the plan and offers five lessons from struggles and successes with CSR. A table displays average elementary…