Economists attempting to explain the widening of the black-white wage gap in the late 1970s by differences in school quality have been faced with the problem that recent data reveal virtually no gap in the quality of schools attended by blacks and whites. This paper reexamines racial differences in school quality. It begins by considering the…

A 4-year longitudinal study in Tennessee, called the Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project, examined the effects of class size on student achievement in kindergarten through grade 3. More than 6,000 students from 75 schools in 42 school systems were included in the study. There were three class sizes: small class (13-17 students),…

A national survey of college faculty provided data for an analysis of class size norms in postsecondary institutions, and the institutional and academic variables associated with class size differences. Institutional characteristics considered include public versus private control, Carnegie classification, and institution size. Course academic…

Using interviews with teachers and principals and a standard experimental design, this study examined the effects of class size on student achievement in mathematics and mother tongue language skills. Subjects were 610 Sri Lankan fourth graders in 18 classrooms varying in size; classrooms sizes were 20-30, 31-40, and 41-50 students. Student…

A survey containing open-ended questions about class size was distributed to teachers in five schools (3 elementary and 2 secondary) in a rural school district in south China. Responses were received from 55 of 100 teachers surveyed; all had 5 or more years of teaching experience. A class of 50 or more students was considered large, while one with…

In July 1996, California began its Class Size Reduction (CSR) Initiative. To gauge the effectiveness of this initiative, an analysis of its objectives and an overview of proposed strategies for evaluating CSR are presented here. An outline of the major challenges that stand between CSR and its mission are provided. These include logistical…

Analyzes a survey of the Middle Atlantic states on class size in speech communication departments. Concludes that small classes are the most effective. (MH)

Four newsletter issues on college instruction cover large class instruction, working with teaching assistants (TAs), preparing a course syllabus, and practical approaches to dealing with cheating on exams. Specific topics include: deciding on content for large class lectures, selecting texts and readings, physical characteristics of the lecture…

Several dimensions of state-sponsored, reduced-class-size programs are addressed. At present, 20 states are contemplating following the lead of Indiana's PRIME TIME and Tennessee's STAR programs. Yet the effectivenessness of reduced class size in elementary schools continues to be uncertain and controversial. No one knows whether reduced class…

The report analyzes the effect undergraduate enhancement funding in Florida has had on the student undergraduate experience. The study involved an analysis of data obtained from the Board of Regents Instructional Activity data files, analysis of the findings of previous studies and task force reports, the results of a survey distributed to 1,031…

Research studies on class size date back to 1900. Common sense has suggested that small classes lead to greater academic achievement, but most research on the effects of class size on achievement have been inconclusive. Furthermore, the financial costs and political consequences of reducing class size have generally prohibited the adoption of…

A bibliographic study was made of current research on class size, providing an historical overview of selected class size studies and a review of conclusions applicable to class size. A central theme which runs through the literature concerning class size reduction is that academic achievement does not necessarily improve when student-faculty…

Americans tend to value bigger as better. Conventional wisdom over the years has dictated that "too small" schools and school districts could not provide sufficient educational opportunities. Since 1930, the number of school districts has shrunk from 128,000 to less than 16,000. As districts consolidate, parents feel distant from schools and…

Class size is a continuing concern for administrators and teachers in the Mesa Public School system. Research examined findings that reductions in class size can increase student achievement as measured by common standardized tests, but only if size is reduced to something below 20 students per class. Class size also produced changes in…

The report of the National Council of Teachers of English Task Force on Study of Class Size and Workload in Secondary English Instruction takes the position that class size should be studied by itself and also in conjunction with other variables. It also identifies subject matter and instructional design as types of variables combining with class…