This paper summarizes class size research conducted primarily since 1970. The paper discusses various relevant issues for use in policy, in schools, and in additional research. Several studies over the years have focused on: the issue of small being better and less being more and emphasized the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio) education…

Using research to develop a solid educational foundation can accommodate diverse forces confronting educators, initiate systemic change, and help solve the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR)/class-size puzzle. Small K-3 classes are effective and can be efficient if changes are research-based and exploit class-size and PTR differences. (25 references) (MLH)

For years the issue of class size has been the subject of hundreds of educational research studies. The effects of class size on student achievement, student and teacher attitudes, instructional setting, and total classroom environment have been examined and re-examined. In general, the findings of these studies have been inconclusive, though for…

Analyzed data from a five-year followup of students in Tennessee's Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project, a four-year large-scale randomized examination of the effects of class size on academic achievement. Results suggest that class-size benefits persist for at least five years and remain large enough to be important to educational…

This collection of papers debates the merits of smaller class sizes and research methods used to evaluate the efficacy of this education reform measure. Four chapters focus on (1) "Understanding the Magnitude and Effect of Class Size on Student Achievement" (Alan B. Krueger), which discusses expenditures per student and economic criterion; (2)…

Exploring the class-size issue, this paper focuses on the primary grades and asks questions such as "does a reduction in class size promote an increase in academic achievement?" and "how substantial does the reduction in numbers have to be in order for a significant increase to occur?" The paper surveys debates on class size…

Reviews Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and puts the results in the context of other nonexperimental evidence about class size. Nonexperimental evidence does not support any achievement gains attributable to class-size reduction, and empirical evidence from STAR has design and implementation flaws that cast doubt on…

Provides reasons why class size and school size are important school improvement ideas; highlights findings of selected research on class size and school size; relates personal teaching experience supporting benefits of both small classes and small schools; describes results of a study of an eight-teacher school-within-a-school in Chicago.…

Statistical evidence showed that university faculty with relatively few students tend to assign higher grades than would be expected otherwise. The significance of this association must be taken into consideration when evaluating student achievement and faculty performance. (Author/RM)

This study evaluated the Class Size Reduction (CSR) program in 34 elementary schools in Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools. The CSR program is a federal initiative to help elementary schools improve student learning by hiring additional teachers. Qualitative data were collected using unstructured interviews, site observations, and document…

This review surveys the current literature dealing with the effect of class size on both school finance and educational quality. The literature cited reflects a general agreement on the telling impact of class size on school budgets. However, the material gives little evidence of uniform agreement on the effect of class size on educational…

Research on the relationship of class size to academic achievement is being used by administrators, parents, teachers, and politicians. Unfortunately, many questions are being raised on the methodology, results, and conclusions of the research studies. (FG)

Examines the origins of Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and explores what it was about Tennessee in the mid-1980s that fostered the development of this experimental approach to class size. Highlights the connection between the research world and the political world that resulted in the STAR project. (SLD)

This report summarizes the findings of some recent pivotal studies of class size, especially as they relate to students at risk. Of particular note is a large-scale study of class size, which was designed to test the conclusions of G. Glass and M. Smith (1978) and G. Robinson (1990) about the advantages of small class size. This study, Project…