Comments on: Class Size http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/03/class-size.html Education News, Analysis, and Commentary Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:33:11 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/03/class-size.html/comment-page-1#comment-604 Anonymous Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:23:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/03/class-size.html#comment-604 Or smaller classes mean more kids get bad teachers? Or smaller classes mean more kids get bad teachers?

]]> By: Liam http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/03/class-size.html/comment-page-1#comment-600 Liam Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:23:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/03/class-size.html#comment-600 True, true. In addition, on a macro level, a challenge posed by smaller class sizes is the watering down of teacher quality. See California's experience with class size reduction in the 1990s with led to many uncredentialed and ill-prepared teachers.<br/><br/>We should continue to pursue class size in a targeted fashion based on available evidence, but I believe you still get a greater bang for your buck through high-quality teacher training, including induction, mentoring, residency, and job-embedded professional development. <br/><br/>With class size reduction and many other structural reforms in education, the need for excellent teachers is too often ignored. True, true. In addition, on a macro level, a challenge posed by smaller class sizes is the watering down of teacher quality. See California’s experience with class size reduction in the 1990s with led to many uncredentialed and ill-prepared teachers.

We should continue to pursue class size in a targeted fashion based on available evidence, but I believe you still get a greater bang for your buck through high-quality teacher training, including induction, mentoring, residency, and job-embedded professional development.

With class size reduction and many other structural reforms in education, the need for excellent teachers is too often ignored.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/03/class-size.html/comment-page-1#comment-599 Anonymous Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/03/class-size.html#comment-599 Eduwonk, I love you for getting this right. It's the teaching. It's always been about teaching. Maybe smaller class sizes mean that fewer kids get the bad teacher every year, Eduwonk, I love you for getting this right. It’s the teaching. It’s always been about teaching. Maybe smaller class sizes mean that fewer kids get the bad teacher every year,

]]> By: Socratic Method http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/03/class-size.html/comment-page-1#comment-598 Socratic Method Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:38:00 +0000 http://www.eduwonk.com/wordpress/2008/03/class-size.html#comment-598 You hit the nail on the head. Basically what this says is that bad teachers who can't command the attention of their classes do better if they have less kids in their classes. Actually, the teachers don't even do better, but the kids behave better for the same reason that a small town has less crime than a big city does - less anonymity.<br/><br/>The solution is not to reduce class size and thus have to hire more bad teachers, but to keep classes big, within reason, and to focus more on hiring and training good teachers.<br/><br/>I address this more here: <br/>http://socmethod.blogspot.com/2008/03/size-doesnt-matter-unless-youre-crappy_1614.html You hit the nail on the head. Basically what this says is that bad teachers who can’t command the attention of their classes do better if they have less kids in their classes. Actually, the teachers don’t even do better, but the kids behave better for the same reason that a small town has less crime than a big city does – less anonymity.

The solution is not to reduce class size and thus have to hire more bad teachers, but to keep classes big, within reason, and to focus more on hiring and training good teachers.

I address this more here:
http://socmethod.blogspot.com/2008/03/size-doesnt-matter-unless-youre-crappy_1614.html

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