This paper presents an update of a 2010-literature review on class size research completed as background in preparation of an affidavit on class size provided by the lead author in the case of "British Columbia Teachers' Federation v. British Columbia," argued before the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2010, appealed ultimately to…

Analyzed data from a five-year followup of students in Tennessee's Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project, a four-year large-scale randomized examination of the effects of class size on academic achievement. Results suggest that class-size benefits persist for at least five years and remain large enough to be important to educational…

Reviews Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and puts the results in the context of other nonexperimental evidence about class size. Nonexperimental evidence does not support any achievement gains attributable to class-size reduction, and empirical evidence from STAR has design and implementation flaws that cast doubt on…

This report examines the issue of student teacher ratios as a focus for a discussion on the utilization of social science research findings by policymakers. The author notes that such findings on the issue of student teacher ratios are in agreement on the fact that minor changes in the ratio are insignificant. Notwithstanding, educational…

Examines the origins of Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and explores what it was about Tennessee in the mid-1980s that fostered the development of this experimental approach to class size. Highlights the connection between the research world and the political world that resulted in the STAR project. (SLD)

A project conducted in Tennessee from 1984 through 1989, Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (Project STAR), serves as a context for a discussion of educational research. The decisions required in major research projects and the problems in carrying out research are seldom discussed in conferences that present research results as completed efforts.…

Methods that will improve student achievement include: start early; focus on reading and math; bring in trained tutors; invest in teachers; shrink the size of classes and schools; and increase the amount of time spent learning. Offers guidelines for evaluating initiatives for improving student achievement, discusses technology, and provides…

The core work of educational administration is school improvement, especially improved school outcomes. The leader must know what to do, why some interventions work better than others, and how to implement them. Longitudinal experimental research, meta-analyses, and evaluations have definitely shown that small classes, at least in K-3, provide an…