Classroom sizes in public schools
often determine the quality and amount of learning and how engaged a child will
be in a learning environment. Children
to teacher ratio, especially in K-3, are extremely important because key
factors and knowledge is acquired during these years which will contribute to
the rest of their schooling experience.
If a child spends his or her first few years of school in an overcrowded
classroom they would not receive the amount of attention needed to ensure they are
receiving the foundation of information that they will need for the rest of
their educational career. Multiple studies
have been performed with one exclusively by the Tennessee Star to demonstrate
that classes containing 15-17 students have shown short and long term benefits
to the students. The studies all point to
the direction that in large classroom sizes students are affected negatively because
teachers are unable to address each student’s specific needs.
Classroom sizes increase when
public schools are faced with budget cuts.
This occurs even with decades of support by parents and administrators
to shrink classroom size. Some
classrooms are literally busting at the seams and teachers are unable to
successfully teach all the children. There
are also several other factors that contribute to the successfulness of a
school including the quality of the teaching, school overall size, school
leadership, the amount of effort put in by a student, and amount of parent
involvement, etc. Small classroom size however,
can always enhance and create a better learning environment for each student.
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American
Federation of Teachers conducted a survey about what parents of children in
public schools view as the most important aspect of school. It showed that second to school safety,
parent’s desire small classroom sizes.
Another aspect of public schooling to address is the classroom size from
a teacher’s point of view. Besides the
fact that teachers are unable to connect and address each student’s needs,
teachers can be easily overwhelmed with large classroom sizes. With additional students, teachers gain more
papers to grade, work to make up if they are absent, emails and questions to
answer, and more parents to contact.
From the point of view of a student, parent, or teacher, small class
sizes can always improve a school and foster higher achievement.
