This paper addresses three questions policymakers may have concerning the results of the Project STAR data. First, when reducing class size, is there a "turning point" at which class size reductions lead to increased gains in student achievement? Second, do small classes help low socioeconomic status "at risk" students more…

Both educational vouchers and class size reduction are high-profile proposals for improving education. While the body of research on vouchers is small and unconvincing, the research on smaller classes is abundant and compelling. Researchers have been able to compare the impact of both of these policy alternatives on student performance. Their…

The effect of class size reduction on grades and retention was investigated. Class size for second and third graders in a rural school district was reduced from an average of 24 in second grade to an average of 20 students per class and an average of 25 in third grade to an average of 22 per class. The purpose was to investigate whether the…

Class-size reduction (CSR) has been a complex and contentious issue for the last quarter century. Although the small-class concept was adopted because it appealed to common sense, research over time has revealed a mix of confounding variables, instead of a definitive conclusion. Some CSR efforts, such as Tennessee's Project STAR and Wisconsin's…

This policy brief examines the benefits and the challenges that accompany class-size reduction (CSR). It suggests that when designing CSR programs, states should carefully assess specific circumstances in their schools as they adopt or modify CSR efforts to avoid the unintended consequences that some programs have experienced. Some of the…

Attempts to show that the question of class size is a complex one that should not be dealt with in isolation from such variables as desired quality of education, subject being taught, teacher attitude, total number of professional staff members working with students, and method of instruction. (Author/JN)

Summarizes evidence for the effects of class-size reduction from experimental and nonexperimental measurements, addresses questions about the robustness of each type of estimate, and suggests hypotheses that could reconcile differences resulting from conflicting evidence. Discusses potential costs and the implications for future research into the…

California's K-3 Class Size Reduction Initiative (1996) called for a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. Passage of this initiative created an unexpected teacher shortage and presented California teacher-education faculties with several dilemmas having long-term implications. When districts hired uncertified student teachers on an emergency-permit basis,…

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.…

The purpose of this paper is to report on the methodology, findings, and implications of two meta-analyses of class size. It begins with an explanation of a graph that indicates smaller classes result in increased pupil achievement. Next, summaries are provided of meta-analyses 1 and 2, followed by an extensive critique. The paper concludes that…

This critique of two recent meta-analyses of class size research is unique among all previous studies and reports published by Educational Research Service. It was made necessary by two extraordinary reviews of class size research prepared by Gene V Glass and Mary Lee Smith and published by the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and…

Most research on the positive effects of class-size reduction (CSR) has occurred in the elementary level (Word, Johnston, Bain, Fulton, Zaharias, Lintz, Achilles, Folger, & Breda, 1990; Molnar, Smith, Zahorik, Palmer, Halbach, & Ehrle, 1999). Is CSR an important variable in improving education in the middle grades? Can small classes be…

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…

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…