Research Paper: The Different Advantages and Disadvantages of Small Class Size
Identifying Issues Regarding Class Size
There has been a lot of controversy lately about how a decrease in the number of kids in the classrooms and could change how well a child performs in his/her schoolwork. Many researchers believe that a small class size will have a positive effect on class achievement, but other researchers have found that reducing class size has no advantage at all. For example, Ivor Pritchard from the National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment says “reducing class size will increase costs without producing substantial benefits”(1999). From this example, it can be seen that there have been many sources that say small class size does affect the child, but only the results of class size research will determine what kinds of effects class size has on students. The purpose of this research paper is to examine how small class size affects the child and his achievements in the classroom.
Defining Class Size
In his paper, Class Size and Students at Risk, author Jeremy Finn attempts to define class size for his readers. He explains that class size is not merely the pupil-teacher ratio; instead, he states that the average class size of a school is a more accurate reading of the school’s class size (Finn). The pupil-teacher ratio can be defined as the total number of students in a student body divided by the number of all professional staff and teachers at a school. While Finn said that this is an inaccurate measure of class sizes, other researchers may argue that it is a correct way to measure a school’s class size. According to the ERIC educational thesaurus, class size can also be define...
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ERIC Thesaurus. Retrieved May 1, 2004 from ERIC/EBSCO database.
This online thesaurus can be used to find synonyms for words to use in a research paper.
National Education Association. Small class sizes produce long-term benefits. Retrieved May 1, 2004 from http://www.nea.org/neatoday/9909/fyi.html
This site explains the main findings of the Tennessee STAR project. The writers of this article support small class size and believe that having a smaller class has benefits for both teachers and students.
Pritchard, I. (1998). Reducing class size: what do we know? Retrieved March 8, 2004 from Internet http://www.ed.gov/MailingLists/EDInfo/Archive/msg00360.html
This article goes in-depth on the topic of small classes. The article also discusses research projects such as the Tennessee STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio) project.
Jackie Robinson first played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues in 1945. Robinson was first pursued by the Boston Red Sox, a Major League team, but they never replied back to him after his workout (Rampersad 89). Later on in August of 1945 Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, sent a scout to observe and bring in Jackie Robinson (Rampersad 125). When the scout approached Robinson he told him that Rickey was going to start a Negro League team called the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers. What the scout and Robinson did not understand was the persistence of Rickey to meet and speak with him. Robinson eventually agreed and on August 28 in Brooklyn met with Branch Rickey. Rickey immediately told him to marry because he knew that if Robinson accepted he would need the support of a loving wife (Rampersad 126). Rickey then shocked him when he said he wanted
Jackie Robinson was a significant African American who faced many hardships to become a Major League Baseball star. From his early life to his adulthood, Jackie had his life changed constantly.
Jackie Robinson was a professional baseball player in the 1940’s. By playing baseball, he stood up against racial inequality in sports. He led African Americans closer to racial integration. Jack “Jackie” Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo Georgia, 1919. He went to John Jackie grew up with four siblings; Edgar, Frank, Matthew (Mack) and Willa Mae. Jackie was good at various sports, such as; football, tennis, track, and baseball. There was one point where he went to Honolulu and played for the Honolulu Bears football team. Jackie is most known for “breaking the color barrier.” The “barrier” represented decades of segregated baseball. Throughout his entire life, Jackie was a crucial part of the civil rights movement. He did this by playing
When you think of great baseball players, you got to think of Jackie Robinson. Throughout Jackie Robinson life he had many obstacles to overcome. Most were his battles with segregation. He set examples that color or race didn’t matter and that you be what you want to be no matter the color of your skin.
In 1986, the Tennessee legislature commissioned the Tennessee Class Size Experiment to determine if class size made a difference in achievement for disadvantaged students. After studying 79 different schools in 42 school districts for 4 years, the researchers found that class size only had an effect on students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, and that effect was minute. The impact was only on reading, not math, and smaller classes did not help disadvantaged students. A 2002 study of New York City schools showed that smaller schools, not smaller classes, had an effect on student success.
Jackie Robinson was the first African-American player to be unsegregated in Major League Baseball. He signed up with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and broke the colour barrier. He didn’t do this out of luck, however. Jackie was a great baseball player. This was the biggest reason he was the first African American player. If he wasn’t good, he wouldn’t have been chosen. He had a good throw, pitch, and was a great runner. You know that he was good because the coaches were biased and to be of colour and play on a team, you had to be the best. And that was what Jackie Robinson was.
Although I live in a small city, the class sizes at my school are large. My larger classes have made it difficult to get the individual help I want, and I know from past experiences that I function at a higher level in a smaller classroom setting. Flagler’s smaller class sizeof 17/1 is very important to me and will benefit to my success.
Robinson was the first African American to play in major league baseball. However this accomplishment was not as easy as it seems. He faced racial discrimination as he “had been forced to live with snubs and rebuffs and rejections” (Robinson). Jackie faced rejections not only from fans but also his own teammates. Similar to Beals, Robinson faced great threat and danger like “out-and-out attempts at physical harm” (Robinson). Despite all the hate, Jackie Robinson also had many followers and supporters. Most of Robinson's supporters were African American. His supporters “came to sit in a hostile audience in unprecedented numbers to make the turnstiles hum as they never had before at ball parks all over the nation.” Most of the blacks thought of Robinson “as a symbol” (Robinson). Acknowledgement began to grow as soon as profits for Jackie began to gain. Jackie Robinson created opportunities in baseball. As a result he changed himself and his
“Of course class size is important. You have to find the child before you can teach the child (Archived… 2000).” Though this opinion may seem radical to most people, you can see the underlying theme in the argument. Smaller classes allow students to have more personalized, individual attention from teachers. Many teachers and smaller class size advocates believe that such classes will allow for more constructive group activities, strengthen students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills, and accommodate for a wide range of learning paces. These advocates also believe that a reduced student to teacher ratio will give teachers more time to be innovative and develop new ideas, lead class discussions to further understanding, and give more practice exercises. For parents who want the best education for their children, these proposed effects of small class size make you wonder where the hard evidence is to back them.
Jackie Robinson once said that “"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." (Brainy Quotes). Jackie Robinson faced more abuse than any other baseball player. Jackie Robinson had his mind set on breaking the color barrier for African Americans. Jackie Robinson had the muscle strength and talent to inspire and change the color barrier in Major League baseball. Jackie Robinson was one of the most significant baseball players that America has ever known for Jackie Robinson’s bravery to stop the color barrier for, his inspiration he gave to people all around the world and for his accomplishments during baseball and outside of baseball this made him one of the most valuable players in the National League.
...ned. A group study published by the Teachers College Record Journal compares high school students who attended small classes to those who did not. The results reveal that students who participated in smaller classes were “2.5 months ahead in all school subjects, and as much as five months ahead in some, compared to their counterparts who attended regular classes” (Finn et al. 168). Similar research supports that idea that small classes produce even greater long-term benefits when class-size reduction is extended for additional years during primary education. Longitudinal studies reveal that a longer duration in small class primary education equates to more considerable, enduring benefits in secondary education (Finn et al. 166). The seemingly short-term participation in class-size reduction enhances a student’s entire academic career and chance for achievement.
It is not fair to feel intimidated by the number of students in your classroom. No one should be afraid to learn for the fear of embarrassment. Students should not have the opportunity to learn because the teacher can not relate to them, or because the teacher does not have the time to answer all their questions, or because their teacher only gives attention to the smarter students.
It is about that time for families to start sending their children to school. The first thing that crosses their mind is “I hope my child gets the best education I can give them.” These parents want their children to excel in their math classes, pass that test in science class, and they want them to be the best they can be. These families want the teacher to give their child the best education that they can offer. So what if the best way that teachers could give the best education to that child was to have a class size reduction? What if the smaller the class, the more that child could achieve? That teacher would be able to focus on any
Each student needs the teacher to give them more than five minutes of attention to them when they are in class. In the article "How important is class size?"by GreatSchools Staff “Academic gains are not the only benefit of lowering class size. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that reducing class sizes in elementary schools may be more cost-effective than most public health and medical interventions. This is because students in smaller classes are more likely to graduate from high school, and high school graduates earn more and also enjoy significantly better health than high school dropouts.” The article is stating that children with a group of 20 students in class a sufficient for the students. Student can ask assistants form teacher without having to wait too long than in a lager class it becomes chaotic with too many students. In a smaller classroom student comprehend much more of the lesson and this will help student in the future from dropping out for school. This will improve with funding school hiring more teachers to have a functional
Going to school and getting a great education is important for a successful future in today’s world. Years ago, many children did not go to school and many young adults opted to work instead of attending college. In today’s society, gaining a high level of education is almost always mandatory for many jobs. There are many changes being done to the education system along with new items and ways of teaching in the classroom. There is a growing amount of changes in the classroom such as technology, teaching time, teaching styles, and freedom of space.