Research and Links

Small Classes in American Schools: Research, Practice, and Politics

Jeremy D. Finn, “Small Classes in American Schools: Research, Practice, and Politics,” Phi Beta Kappan, March 2002. A summary of the research by one of the premier STAR investigators.

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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Incredible Shrinking Class Size

Jan O’Neill and Deborah Mercier, “Incredible Shrinking Class Size,” National Staff Development Council, 2003 . Describes how one school in Wisconsin reduced class size without additional funding.

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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How Class Size Makes a Difference

SERVE, “How Class Size Makes a Difference,” 2002. One of the best and most readable summaries of the research, prepared by the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Southeast, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. and “A Parent’s Guide to Class-Size Reduction,” 2003. A useful introduction, including suggestions on actions parents can take to encourage […]

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide

Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, “Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide,” Dec. 2003. Class size reduction is identified as one of only four education reforms proven to increase learning.

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School

Jeremy D. Finn et.al., “Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School,” Journal of Educational Psychology, 2005. http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/edu972214.pdf Summary at http://www.apa.org/releases/smallclasses.html

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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California Class Size Reduction Reform: New Findings from the NAEP

Fatih Unlu, “California Class Size Reduction Reform: New Findings from the NAEP,” Princeton Univ., Nov. 2005; Study showing large gains from smaller classes in California.

April 12, 2011 in Research and Links by

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Optimal Context Size in Elementary Schools: Disentangling the Effects of Class Size and School Size

Douglas D. Ready and Valerie E. Lee, “Optimal Context Size in Elementary Schools: Disentangling the Effects of Class Size and School Size,” Brookings Papers on Education Policy,- 2006/2007, pp. 99-135. Study finds that class size rather than school size makes a positive difference, and suggests that”if children remained in the same elementary school for five […]

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The Wisdom of Class-Size Reduction

Elizabeth Graue, et.al. “The Wisdom of Class-Size Reduction,” American Educational Research Journal, September 2007, Vol. 44, No. 3. “SAGE in particular, and CSR in general, allows teachers the space to create meaningful learning opportunities for students. Giving teachers support to develop new strategies for teaching smaller groups makes it more likely.”

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The Non-Cognitive Returns to Class Size

Thomas Dee and Martin West, “The Non-Cognitive Returns to Class Size, ” NBER Working Paper 13994, 2008. “Our results indicate that smaller classes in 8th grade lead to improvements in measures of student engagement ….Using the estimated earnings impact of these non-cognitive skills and the direct cost of a class-size reduction, the implied internal rate […]

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Achievement Differences and School Type: The Role of School Climate, Teacher Certification, and Instruction

Sarah Theule Lubienski et.al., “Achievement Differences and School Type: The Role of School Climate, Teacher Certification, and Instruction,” American Journal of Education 115, November 2008. This multilevel analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics data on over 270,000 fourth and eighth graders in over 10,000 schools finds that smaller class size is significantly […]

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