Uses data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to examine the relationship between class size and mathematics achievement in nine countries. In no country other than the United States was a beneficial effect found for small class sizes. Except in Hong Kong, neither curricular coverage nor instructional practices…

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences--excused versus unexcused--and school performance. With a quantitative model of…

Although experimental results indicate that smaller classes promote higher achievement in early elementary school, the broader literature on class-size effects is inconclusive. This seeming contradiction raises questions about the generalizability of experimental evidence, an issue that this article addresses by examining the effects of class size…