Can We Have an Honest Discussion about Class Size?

What we want for our own children should be, ideally, what we want for all of America’s children.

But this isn’t always the case – a reality that is particularly obvious right now, as many states, including California and Texas, are considering increasing class sizes to save money.

Any time discussions about raising class size surface, the argument is basically the same: Research on the benefits of class size are mixed. Other factors, particularly the quality of teaching, are more important than class size, according to a number of studies. Good teachers can serve 40 students just as effectively as 20.

But deep down, I suspect that virtually all of us, when we stop and think about it honestly, know that it matters whether a teacher is responsible for educating 20 students or 30 or 40. Obviously, it is easier for a teacher with 20 students to do a better job of understanding and meeting the unique needs of all students.

And, as a recent article in the Houston Press points out, many of those policymakers and pundits saying that class size doesn’t matter likely have their own children enrolled in private schools that advertise widely about class ratios as low as 12:1 or even 8 or 9:1.

If class size really doesn’t matter, why do our most elite private schools typically hold to low class sizes – not just in the lower grades, but beyond?

It is possible that in some states, the cost of keeping class sizes low really is something we can no longer afford, and sizes may need to be temporarily increased to make ends meet. But if the decision is made, we should at least have the integrity and honesty to say that yes, the decision is one that will inevitably be bad for public education – and for our children.