This Information Capsule examines the background and history in addition to research findings pertaining to class size reduction (CSR). This Capsule concludes that although educational researchers have not definitively agreed upon the effectiveness of CSR, given its almost universal public appeal, there is little doubt it is here to stay in some…

Research on the relationship of class size to academic achievement is being used by administrators, parents, teachers, and politicians. Unfortunately, many questions are being raised on the methodology, results, and conclusions of the research studies. (FG)

Article reanalyzes and expands upon data from Tennessee's Project STAR which examined the effects of class size reduction on student achievement in the primary grades. It describes six competing theories of class size impact on achievement and test performance, settling on the student group/modeling interpretation of study data. (SM)

While the desirability of small classes seems an article of faith among educators, a review of the research indicates that class size in itself has rarely shown a substantial effect on educational achievement. The research itself has been flawed by the impossibility of determining or measuring all the variables that changes in class size can…