Increasing class size is one of the key variables that policy makers can use to control spending on education. But the consensus among many education researchers is that smaller classes are effective in improving student achievement. This view has led to a policy of class size reductions in a number of US states, the UK, and the Netherlands. This…

Class size and student achievement have been debated for decades. The vast amount of research on this topic is either conflicting or inconclusive. There are large and small scale studies that support both sides of this dilemma (Achilles, Nye, Boyd-Zaharias, Fulton, & Cain, 1994; Glass & Smith, 1979; Slavin, 1989). Class size reduction is a…

Does reduced class size cause higher academic achievement for both Black and other students in reading, mathematics, listening, and word recognition skills? Do Black students benefit more than other students from reduced class size? Does the magnitude of the minority advantages vary significantly across schools? This article addresses the causal…

This article addresses three questions: Does reduced class size cause higher academic achievement in reading, mathematics, listening, and word recognition skills? If it does, how large are these effects? Does the magnitude of such effects vary significantly across schools? The authors analyze data from Tennessee's Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio…

The findings on the social distribution of the immediate and lasting benefits of small classes have been mixed. We used data from Project STAR and the Lasting Benefits Study to examine the long-term effects of small classes on the achievement gap in mathematics, reading, and science scores (Stanford Achievement Test). The results consistently…

This paper investigates the effects of California's billion-dollar class-size-reduction program on student achievement. It uses year-to-year differences in class size generated by variation in enrollment and the state's class-size-reduction program to identify both the direct effects of smaller classes and related changes in teacher quality.…

This study used data from the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading examination to analyze the effect of class size on academic achievement. The NAEP is administered in 4th, 8th, and 12 grades to measure academic achievement in various fields. Besides providing data on academics, it offers information on student, teacher,…

Questions positive effects of small classes on student achievement. Describes study using 1998 NAEP reading data to determine whether students in small classes do better than students in large classes. Finds that after controlling for several factors such as gender, students in small classes did no better in reading than students in large classes.…

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…

This study examined the impact of class size reduction (CSR) on achievement among 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students with different numbers of years of participation in CSR. Single-year matched gains were calculated for the 1997-1998 and 1999-2000 school years. Student progress was assessed using scores from the SAT/9 reading, mathematics, and…

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…

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…

This large-scale evaluation of Indiana's Prime Time, a funding mechanism designed to reduce class size or pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in grades K-3 examined the academic performance of nearly 11,000 randomly selected third graders on the state mandated standardized achievement test as a function of class size, PTR, and presence of an instructional…

Between 1985 and 1989, the Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project studied the effect of class size on student achievement in Tennessee schools. The study examined: (1) small classes of 15 students per teacher; (2) regular classes of 24 students per teacher; and (3) regular classes with a teacher's aide. The sample included students from…