Class Size Student Achievement

The biggest problem in education reform today is that class size negatively affects student achievement. The way that we will fix this problem is by building more schools and hiring more instructors to lower class sizes will be a start to solving this conundrum.

One way that student achievement is negatively affected is students’ test scores. The reduction of class sizes will increase test scores. Oriana Bandiera, Valentino Larcinese, and Imran Rasul, are all professors of economics and possess a PhD in economics. They examined students in smaller class sizes preform better on tests than students in larger class sizes. They use experimental data and education policies to prove that there is a correlation between class size and student performance.

The reduction of class sizes will make classroom management manageable and will improve student learning. Christopher Jepsen and Steven Rivkin both possess a PhD in economics. The examined the students assignment scores and grade averages in all amounts of class sizes. They use statistical data to convey their point of how there is a correlation between class size and teacher quality. Jepsen and Rivkin mention that, “The final set of results investigates the link between achievement and the size of entering teacher cohorts. All specifications fully interact grade with class size but not the teacher characteristics based on prior research and preliminary work” (236). The data measures that mathematics and reading achievement is negatively affected across the board. Research shows that quality of teachers is the cause for this negative trend (238). There is proven research that class size and teachers affect one another. Other research how that grades are affected with class size and teachers performance is shown through grades. In the majority of studies, math and reading scores are affected by qualities of teachers. Those same studies show that instructors are the cause for the scores

The reduction of class sizes is the dealbreaker for this decision. Caroline M. Hoxby is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and professor of economics at Stanford University. Hoxby’s posses a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a PhD in economics. Hoxby provides an government level perspective because she was in the Department of Education at on time. Hoxby uses research and data proving that parents chose to send their children to schools with smaller class sizes. Hoxby states that, “Smaller classes give teachers the opportunity to practice more of each parent's favored educational method. Teachers, teachers' unions, and administrators like smaller classes for the same reasons parents do, but they may also like smaller classes for reasons that spring from self-interest” (Hoxby 1239). Parents decision to send children to schools is decided on many factors. Some factors may include school rating, courses offered, and class size. Class size is a crucial factor for the decision because it will affect the student in one way or another. Hoxby’s time working for the Department of Education establishes her credibility. Parents make the had decision of what school to send their children to. School rating is a factor of why a parent may or may not send their child to that school. Courses offered is a factor of why a parent may favor a certain school over another.