Numerous studies over the years have shown: smaller class sizes directly correlate with student achievement.
What you may not know is that this benefit increases over time; the longer your child can learn in a small-class environment, the greater the benefits he will reap from this environment.
Does Class Size Really Matter? Less Than 20 Students Per Class
The landmark small-class size study which first introduced this principle was performed in 1978 by Glass and Smith. In this study, researchers found that class size decrease led to a corollary increase in academic achievement. They also found that classes sized below 20 students showed the greatest benefits to student performance.
In comparison, our classes have between 10-15 students – but no more than 15!
Does Class Size Really Matter? Smaller Class Sizes For Longer Periods
Several follow-up studies, including a 2002 study performed by researchers with Tennessee’s Project STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio), found that the more years students spent in a classroom of reduced size, the longer the benefits to their learning lasted.
A 2001 study of students in the California CSR (Class Size Reduction) program found that students who participated in the small-class program over the span of three years or longer enjoyed greater learning gains than those who had participated for just one year.
In other words, the greater the amount of time a student can learn in a reduced-size classroom (under 20 students), the better they will learn and the longer these benefits will remain with them.
What this means is that it is imperative to act quickly; the sooner your student can learn in a small-class environment, the better it will be for her long-term learning success.
Less Students, More Individual Attention
It is no wonder that class size does have such a large effect on student learning since it directly relates to in-class interaction with the teacher and other students, as well as curriculum potential.
Students in smaller classes can garner larger amounts of individual attention from teachers and thus have their individual learning needs better assessed and attended to.
With smaller class sizes, teachers can cater to a wider array of student learning styles since their limited preparation time can be devoted to a smaller student body.
Awkward students or students who find classroom learning difficult and are easily overlooked (or perhaps even bullied) in larger classes can find individual attention in a small class learning environment and thus be nurtured through their formative years.
Students directly feel the benefits of this individual focus; since they don’t have to fight for the instructor’s attention, they can instead devote their time to learning and bettering themselves and their classmates.
More Active Engagement With Class Material
Additionally, a small class encourages students to actively engage more with the material. Since there are fewer voices in the classroom, each voice is allowed to be heard more frequently (and more loudly).
This type of engagement encourages individual problem-solving, active learning, leadership skills, and social interaction skills. All of these skills directly correlate to success in a university setting as well as in the workplace beyond the academy.
Conclusion
All of this correlates to success not just in school, but also in life. Smaller class sizes at an early developmental stage can directly impact a student’s achievement for many years to come.
Sources:
- https://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance/Class-size-and-student-achievement-Research-review.html
- https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/05_02_08.pdf
- https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cs/k3/
- https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/pdf/pspi2_1.pdf?origin=p
- https://greatlakescenter.org/docs/Policy_Briefs/Schanzenbach_ClassSize.pdf
