This report, intended for local and state policy makers and practitioners, summarizes the findings and implications of class-size reduction (CSR) in California. The report's findings provide a comprehensive picture of California's CSR initiative during its first 2 years, covering such topics as implementation, resources, teacher qualifications,…

The author, Deputy Head of Chalk Dell Infant School in Hertford, England, reviews research on the effects of class size and analyzes her own experience with a class of 33 and a class of 23 students. (Editor/SJL)

Argues that study findings indicate that lowered class size increases student achievement and improves school attitudes. Counter argument indicates there is little educational payoff and great monetary expense in small reductions in class size. (RH)

Describes Capistrano (California) Unified School District's use of portable classrooms to solve overenrollment problems while complying with Governor Wilson's directive to reduce class size in primary grades. When evaluating the merits of relocatable classrooms, school leaders should consider acquisition and use, identification of responsible…

Describes Project STAR, the Tennessee class-size study, from the research design through study findings. Data collection for STAR students will continue through 1999, but early findings suggest that small class size in the early years of school continues to have beneficial impacts through the high school years. (SLD)

SAGE is a five-year class-size-reduction program being implemented in 80 Wisconsin schools. A longitudinal, evaluative study is being conducted in 30 SAGE schools. Small classes have three effects leading to increased individualization: fewer discipline problems, greater knowledge of students, and more teacher enthusiasm (using directive methods).…

Evaluation of a Wisconsin initiative compared academic progress in three types of smaller K-3 classes (15 students per teacher) with that in comparison schools. Smaller classes had fewer discipline problems, more time for instruction and individualization, varied instructional strategies, and more content and in-depth coverage. (Contains 10…

Describes benefits of small classes based on 28 years of experience as elementary teacher. Includes establishing a successful classroom community, more time for students, fewer discipline problems, personalized assessment, and more opportunity to use best teaching practices. (PKP)

Discusses national survey of high school teachers and parents of high school students. Finds that while teachers and parents associate small schools with certain positive effects such as low dropout rates and high parent involvement, educators planning to reduce school size must resolve several parent and teacher concerns such as class size. (PKP)

Recent research from randomized experiments on class size points to positive effects of small classes that persist for several years, but the evidence about the social distribution of effects is less clear. Some scholars have contended that the immediate effects of small classes are larger for minorities and for disadvantaged persons (e.g., J. D.…

Low achievement and high dropout rates among poor and minority students continue to plague U.S. society. While much attention over the past quarter century has focused on reforming the schools these students attend, little or no progress has been made in actually closing the achievement gaps or reducing the number of dropouts. Why? Aren't…

The Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) is a group of people interested in small college computing issues. It is a blend of people from all over the country who use computers in their teaching, academic support, and administrative support functions. ASCUE has a strong tradition of bringing its members together to pool their…

A primary purpose for reducing the student-teacher ratio in the early grades is to make students more successful in their later years. This document contains two separate, but interrelated reports that examined two aspects of the 1989 Class Size Reduction (CSR) Act in Nevada. The Act called for a reduction in student-teacher ratios for selected…

Nine generalizations are made about what takes place in smaller elementary and secondary school classes (those with 25 students or less). The generalizations are based on findings from nearly 60 studies. (RC)

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…