ERIC Number: ED503690
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jan
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Public School Education: The Case for Reduced Class Size. Why the Present Class Size is Not Working and What Can We Do about It?
Graham, Evol
Online Submission
By reducing class size we will close the achievement gap in public school education, caused by prior neglect especially since the civil rights era of the sixties. Additional, highly qualified and specialized teachers will more effectively manage a smaller class size and serve more individual student needs in the crucial early grades, where a solid foundation helps learning. Research supports closing the achievement gap with smaller classes and an increased number of qualified teachers. (Promising Initiatives to Improve Education in Your Community--February 2000, Class-Size Reduction) A history of racism, sexism, and ethnic prejudice was commonly ignored in American social life and schools, as we embraced the myth that everyone shared a happy society made up of people with the same cultural values. Class size was not an issue at the time because there was far less diversity. The typical class size in the 1950s was 35 to 40 per teacher. The 1964 Civil Rights Act would also integrate the schools and choice became a new reform providing options for the disenfranchised to attend better schools. The Civil Rights Act also recognized a democracy which include the political spectrum. Sexism and racism remained among the most controversial issues. New programs included Class Size Reduction Program, PL94-142, IDEA, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Title 1 and accountability were implemented. President George W. Bush signed into law NCLB Act--the most sweeping education reform of federal education policy. There are successes and failures in Charter school but it is a positive vehicle for bringing class size in alignment with pedagogy to close the achievement gap. (A bibliography is included.)
Descriptors: Student Needs, Charter Schools, Class Size, Civil Rights, Social Influences, Federal Legislation, Civil Rights Legislation, Democracy, Educational Change, Public Schools, Classroom Environment, Achievement Gap, Student Rights, Racial Bias, Social Bias, Gender Bias, Ethnicity, Educational Environment, Educational History, Court Litigation, Equal Education, Urban Education
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Civil Rights Act 1964; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A