Purpose: This study explored the relation between therapy group size and language outcomes for children receiving school-based language therapy through an implementation science lens. Method: Data for the current study were gathered as part of the Speech-Language Therapy Experiences in Public Schools study. Participants included 273…

In an effort to reduce viral transmission, many schools are planning to reduce class size if they have not reduced it already. Yet the effect of class size on transmission is unknown. To determine whether smaller classes reduce school absence, especially when community disease prevalence is high, we merge data from the Project STAR randomized…

Identifying an appropriate class size is an important decision public schools face as they weigh balancing their budget with the impact class size may have on student achievement. This study examined perceptions of South Dakota kindergarten through third-grade teachers, elementary principals, and superintendents concerning optimal class size and…

Background: Class size reduction (CSR) is an enduring school reform undertaken in an effort to improve academic achievement and has been widely encouraged in the United States. Supporters of CSR often cite the positive contemporaneous and carryover effects of Project STAR. Much has been discussed regarding the robustness of the contemporaneous…

This paper addresses the relationship between class size and student-teacher interactions as an explanation for effects of class size on achievement. Observations were conducted in kindergarten and Grade 1 classes from 46 Dutch primary schools in order to address the effect of class size on the amount and type of student-teacher interactions. The…

This paper introduces an empirical strategy to estimate dynamic treatment effects in randomized trials that provide treatment in multiple stages and in which various noncompliance problems arise such as attrition and selective transitions between treatment and control groups. Our approach is applied to the highly influential four year randomized…

Given that previous findings on the social distribution of the effects of small classes have been mixed and inconclusive, in the present study I attempted to shed light on the mechanism through which small classes affect the achievement of low- and high-achieving students. I used data from a 4-year, large-scale, randomized experiment (project…

In 1984, the North Gibson School Corporation (Princeton, Indiana) began a reduced class size program as part of the PRIME TIME project investigating the effects of smaller classes on pupils' academic achievement, self-concepts, and attitudes toward school. Results showed significant gains for both first- and second-graders. Includes two tables and…

The major purpose of this study was to determine if there were meaningful differences between work-related problems of 310 first-grade teachers assigned to small classes, regular size classes, and regular size classes with full-time aide assistance. This paper reports on the analysis of results of a single data source from the second year of…

This paper compares the achievement of first and second grade students in reduced size classrooms with the achievement of previous groups taught in larger classrooms in a Mississippi community. It also examines a longitudinal class size effect through the analysis of student achievement for two years. The subjects involved in the study were 371…

This study examined the relationship between test results of students in PRIMETIME first-grade classrooms in Indiana, and the Smith and Glass (1979) class size/achievement model. The class size/achievement model shows the results of a meta-analysis of research on class size which indicated that as class size decreases, achievement increases. The…

As poverty, dysfunctional families, and special needs continue to affect students, educators seek improved ways to start children in formal education. One such approach is to lower the teacher-to-pupil ratios, and recent research shows that this method positively influences pupil achievement. How the process works is not well understood. To fill…

Discusses research (Tennessee Study of Class Size) that determined the effects of smaller class size in the earliest grades on short- and long-term pupil performance. The 4-year study assessed the performance of over 6,500 students who attended K-3 classrooms having differing numbers of students and found evidence of short- and long-term benefits…

Interviews with teachers of 17 small first-grade classes at 10 Edmonton (Alberta) schools found that teachers drew on the contextual benefits of small classes to support students' skill development in a creative and integrated curriculum. Teachers used individualization; active learning; integration of reading, writing, and speaking; and a variety…

The search for the best educational environment, especially in terms of class size, is an important educational issue for parents, teachers, administrators, and government officials. Parents and educators argue that smaller class size leads to more effective teaching and improved learning for students. Government officials argue that substantial…