Each day last week I had at least two students absent from my class. Some days I had as many as four students not there. A stomach virus and flu is going around throughout my community.
The primary classes in my school are overloaded with students. Each kindergarten has at least 20 students. Our first grade classes have 23 children. Next year, the first grade classes may have even more students due to a large kindergarten class moving up into first grade. The teachers have been told that they can have up to 25 students before a new class will be created.
The difference that two or three students make in a class is unbelievable. No matter what anyone says, class size does matter. Smaller classes are easier to manage. Discipline problems are fewer and more time can be spent with struggling students. When I have students absent from my class, the day seems much more productive. I can use more hands-on activities and have more discussion within the class. I have more time to spend with each student. While I am working with individual students, the class is quieter because there are fewer students to cause a disruption.
Research, including Tennessee’s STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) project, shows that children in classes with fewer students are more likely to graduate on time, enroll in advanced placement math and English courses, complete high school, and graduate with honors. Therefore, positive results from lower student-teacher ratios cannot only be seen immediately but are also seen later in a child’s education. Studies have also shown that lowering class sizes can close the gap between black and white achievements by 38 percent.
The ideal class size in primary grades should be no more than 15 students. Primary grade students in classes with a lower number of children are more likely to make academic progress. Students receive more individualized help and can participate in more hands-on activities. Parents and teachers should urge public officials to make reducing student-teacher ratios a priority.
Related Articles
Reasons I am glad I homeschool: Class Size
How Early Intervention Helped our Family
NCLB Results: Improving Education or Teaching to the Test?