While doing research I came across an article written by Sara Mosle titled “Does Class Size Count?”  During this article Sara argues that Americas economic problem is the reason for class sizes becoming larger. Sara states, “As states cut education budgets in response to the nation’s continuing economic woes, student-to-teacher ratios are again on the rise after decades of decline.” During this article Sara argues that smaller class sizes is not the answer to get successful students. Instead she argues that schools should implement a program where children who do need a little extra help are put into smaller class rooms where they are able to get more one on one attention.

I do not agree with this statement because I believe that every student should feel equal no matter their level of education and if students who are struggling with their education are taken into smaller groups this may make these students feel like they are less than the others. 

 “President Clinton announced the release of a Department of Education report” (Class Size Reduction: Success stories noted in New Report, 1) This report was a 9- pages and addressed the problems and opportunites to reduce class sizes. This report included appointing qualified teachers, strengthening the accountability of teachers and taking low performing schools and doing everything to fix the problems these school are having that are making them have low performance, and addressing space limitation problems within public school districts. In this report it is proven that in just one year public schools across America have 29,000 new, highly-trained teachers and that this is all do to the class size reduction initiative. At the same time that the report was released Clinton said “It also shows that in the early grades in those schools, class size has been reduced by an average of five students per class. Over 1.7 million staudents are now directly benefiting from this class size initiative”( Class Size Reduction: Success stories noted in New Report, 2)

After the anncouncement of the new report was released, Secretary of Education Richard Riley said that the report clearly states that the funds from the Class Size Reduction Program that ended up getting passed last year, are already being put into good use and are making a real difference in helping the students learn. Richard Riley also stated that with the flexablity within the Class Size Reduction Plan, really helps schools support their own local problems and priorities making it easier for schools to solve the personal problems within that particular school.

This article states how different cities used their funds from the Class Size Reduction Program. Columbus, Ohio used their funds to help turn around low-performing schools by reducing the class sizes within districts from 25 to 15 students in grades one through three. Montgomery County, Maryland used the funds they were granted from the Class Size Reduction Program by making class sizes no more than 15 for reading instruction for class sizes 1-2.  In the article Richard Riley states that “Class size reduction is something that is so clearly beneficial to the ability of our students to learn and our teachers to teach that I am bewildered by any effort to stand in its way.” (Class Size Reduction: Success stories noted in New Report, 3)

            “When a record 53.2 million students returned to school this fall, students and their teachers in the early grades began to benefit from a growing national effort to lower class size.”( Class Size Reduction: Success stories noted in New Report,6) The article states that now 20 states have Class Size Reduction Initiative in place, and in July, every state received its share of $1.2 billion provided by the U.S Department of Education’s new Class Size Reduction Program in grades one through three to an average of 18 students per class room.

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