Does class size make a difference?

Today on Colorado Public Radio I heard William J. Moloney, former Colorado Education Commissioner, and former teacher and administrator, discuss the issue of class size as it relates to improved academic performance. Referring to a policy brief he wrote in late 2010 for the Centennial Institute, Colorado Christian University’s think tank, he emphatically stated that small class sizes are the “most costly and damaging (educational) reform in the last half century.” He claims that “years of research” shows that reduced class sizes do not result in improved educational outcomes. He goes on to say that many other nations produce higher performing students despite being in larger classes than occur in the United States.

Mr. Moloney stated that such thought is counterintuitive, and with that I completely agree. I read his policy brief (http://www.ccu.edu/centennial/policybriefs/2010-2.pdf), and I believe is an expert in his field, but my counterintuitiveness is definitely getting the better of me. First, I know we can make statistics say most anything we want. Second, from my personal observation, I believe small class size enhances a student’s opportunity to better understand the subject and to engage in deeper cognitive thinking.

When my family lived overseas, my sons attended an American International School. They never had over 15 kids per class and every teacher had a full time aide. It was a private school and, therefore, financially able to offer such class situations. What I discovered once we moved back to the United States was that although my kids were in a well-performing school district, they both were at least a grade level ahead. In smaller classes, my kids and their classmates were able to investigate subjects more deeply, receive more detailed teacher feedback, and, consequently, move ahead with more understanding and at a faster pace.

I also have observed that large class sizes limit or prevent secondary teachers from assigning research or other papers simply because they do not have the time to grade them all, or if they do make the assignment, the teacher often cannot provide time-consuming detailed feedback. I grade an annual assignment for a middle school English teacher. She has five eighth-grade classes with between 25 and 30 kids per class. I can get through three to four papers in an hour—but I mark all over the papers and offer detailed feedback and suggestions. Teachers, who must spend time making lesson plans, doing required administrative work, answering questions, meeting with students and parents, and, of course, teaching, simply do not have the time to give detailed feedback on 200 or so three- to four-page papers. And, if those teachers cannot provide that type of teaching, how are those kids going to improve their writing and research skills? They will, by the way, need those skills to be successful in college.

Do you think class size is a factor in academic progress? What is your experience?