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Alissa Anderson
Susan Lester
Adv Grammar and Composition
28 September 2011
Issue of Class Size
In 2000, a study has shown that, “Students in small classes significantly outperformed
their counterparts in regular size classes in math and reading in both first and second grade.”
(Georgia Association of Educators). Increasing class sizes are causing a major impact on student
and teacher performance. In the past, our school districts have slowly added one or two
additional students per classroom. Currently, because of budget reductions within the school
system, class sizes are continuing to increase which can lead to many problems in and out of the
classroom. Class size has become a major issue in the modern day education system;
furthermore, educators must be able to identify and analyze the problem, the immense impact,
various solutions, and the future implications.
Class size is a major issue that has been taking its toll on both teachers and students in
and out of the classroom. Budget cuts are a big part of why class size has increased over the
years: “Cherokee County had set aside money to help it through economic downturns, but those
reserves are gone as it moves into an expected third year of falling tax revenue” (Quinn). Many
counties in the state of Georgia have tried to be financially responsible so that they do not have
to affect the school system drastically. Most school districts will not see a major increase of class
sizes within the span of a year because they are afraid of the outcome. The issue of increasing

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class size is not originating from the fact that we have a large influx of new students coming to
our schools; school districts are simply making budget cuts that affect all members of the
educational system. Teachers will continue to struggle in the classroom while class sizes climb
and our tax money dwindles as, “Senate Bill 184 would require local school systems to use
teacher performance as the primary factor when deciding layoffs” (Hunt and Badertscher). As a
result of this bill, our most experienced teachers, the ones that have been in the education system
for longer than some of these other teachers have been alive, are getting laid off. The Senate is
not taking into consideration that the curriculum might have changed since their decade, besides
it is not right for our experienced teachers to lose their jobs. Mr. Bloomberg adds in, “If you
have to have smaller class size or better teachers, go with the better teachers every time.”
(Medina). In Maureen Downey’s article about class size, Peter Smagorinsky, an experienced
teacher, rebuts Mr. Bloomberg’s opinion about experienced teachers. Mr. Smagorinsky says that
if he only devoted one minute per student outside of the class room each day, this would be an
addition two and a half hours to every work day (Downey). Peter Smagorinsky is a firm believer
that even if we do have “good teachers” in the classroom, it won’t matter if we cram as many
bodies as we can in them to educate (Downey). Some people question whether or not the school
districts are seriously taking the impact of these swelling class sizes into consideration.
With class sizes escalating, it is beginning to affect the students and teachers more than
ever. Students are not getting enough one-on-one attention, thus students grades are
plummeting, and behavior is worsening as well. Teachers are also under great pressure with
more students being piled into their work environment. With a huge class, teachers are now,
“Standing in front of 40 or more students preparing them to take standardized tests, which can be

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machine graded.” (Downey). Since teachers have to cram so much information into so many
heads, and they are not getting the face to face time with their students, it is very negatively
effecting student’s education now and it will in the future (Downey). Students are simply
memorizing the information so that they can pass the standardized test (Downey). It is not the
students’ fault that their grades are reflecting the key issue of enlarged class sizes. These students
cannot help the fact that standardized tests are the only the thing that “matters” anymore
(Georgia Association of Educators). The president from the Georgia Association of Educators,
Jeff Hubbard, has stated, “The evidence always has shown, and continues to do so, that lower
student/teacher ratios not only increase student performance…but they also contribute
significantly to reducing student discipline problems” (Georgia Association of Educators).
Grades are not the only things that are being taken into consideration with the oversized
classroom; student behavior issues are now becoming apparent. If students are misbehaving in
the class room, it is unlikely that this behavior will stop in school. A math teacher from North
Carolina reports, “If you’ve gained five kids, that’s five more papers to grade, five more kids
who need makeup work if they’re absent, five more parents to contact, five more e-mails to
answer. It gets overwhelming.” (Dillon). Teachers now have to deal with those extra parents,
student absences, teaching the curriculum, and managing students’ behavior (Dillon). It all adds
up in the long haul if you just add three kids per teacher. Once the negative effects have become
apparent, will educators seek solutions?
If our school districts are not going to take action in making our class sizes smaller, what
actions will be taken? The University of Maryland has set up a Center for Teaching Excellence
that shows teachers how to better prepare themselves for a large class size. This Center for

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Teaching Excellence has said that teachers need to make students become active learners.
Teachers need to be aware of the enthusiasm of instruction so it will carry over to the students
(Benson). In addition, educators need to make the subject material interesting and need to
present it in an engaging way (Benson). The Center for Teaching Excellence also informs
instructors to be prepared to manage classroom disruptions. It has been proven that larger class
sizes have resulted in student behavior worsening (Benson). Teachers must try not to appear
overwhelmed by the student-to-teacher ratio, and are able to handle any situation that may arise
(Benson). Adam Gamoran of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has stated that, “Small
classes are more engaging place for students because they’re able to have a more personal
connection with teachers, simply by virtue of the fact that there are fewer kids in the classroom
competing for that teacher’s attention.” (Toppo). Students need more attention by the teachers to
learn the material thoroughly and feel like there is a purpose for the class (Toppo). If a teacher is
not interested in what a student is doing in the classroom then the student may no longer have a
concern for their learning ability either. The solutions should be focused on how instructors can
adapt to the ever increasing demands caused by larger classes. These solutions need to be acted
on quickly to better the future of the students and the career field.
Is there any way to predict what the educational system will look like in the future based
on what has happened in the past? A recent vote took place for Georgia school districts and,
“The vote essentially guts the prevailing state rules that mandated 23 students or fewer in k-3 and
28 in grades 4-8.” (Downey). This does not leave a positive outlook on lowering class sizes.
Because of budget cuts, school districts have had to come to a point where class sizes are
limitless (Downey). The director of Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education has gone

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out on a limb to say that it has only been proven that class size matters in kindergarten and first
grade (Downey). Many teachers report the positive impact of smaller class size, but most of the
general public does not see the importance of this pressing issue. The outlook for this issue is
unclear as the information being put out to the public is not thorough and accurate in what it
depicts. More research needs to be done to realize the impact of ever increasing class sizes on
students and teachers. Wayne Blanton, a director at the Florida School Boards Association, has
stated that it doesn’t make sense for a class to have to split up halfway through the year, just
because of one new student (Dillon). In saying this Blanton wants to make it a point that Florida
needs to make their law a little more flexible in case something like this may take place (Dillon).
The major problem with this policy is knowing when it is time to split up the class. This issue
will not change much at all in the future unless action is taken. One of two things must happen;
school districts either need to make a major change to class sizes for a year or work a little harder
to get our funding up.
After extensive research on growing classroom sizes, it is clear that the individuals
considering teaching as a career must be aware of the escalating demands because of ever-
increasing class size. Because of extremely large class sizes, teachers must be flexible and
patient. Most high school seniors are not the most patient and caring people in the world, and at
that point in their life it is not in their best interest to be thinking about going into a teaching
career while school districts’ budgets are diminishing. Naturally, if a high school senior gets
easily annoyed, then teaching a classroom crammed full of students may not be their best career
option. Furthermore, students interested in teaching should realize that increased class sizes
mean fewer teaching jobs. Certainly, while the impact is very harsh on teachers and students in

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the classroom, people pursuing this career field should be well aware of the impact of budget
cuts which result in larger class sizes.

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Works Cited
Benson, Spencer A, dir. "Large Classes: A Teaching Guide Large Class Introduction." Center for
Teaching Excellence. University of Maryland, 2008. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.cte.umd.edu/library/teachingLargeClass/guide/ch1.html>.
Dillon, Sam. "Tight Budgets Mean Squeeze in Classrooms." The New York Times. N.p., 6 Mar.
2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/education/07classrooms.html?pagewanted=all>.
Downey, Maureen. "Class size: After state board vote Monday, the sky’s the limit." AJC. N.p., 3
May 2010. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-
blog/2010/05/23/class-size-after-state-board-vote-monday-the-skys-the-limit/>.
Downey, Maureen. "Does class size matter? Don’t ask Bill Gates. Ask a teacher." AJC. Get
Schooled with Maureen Downey, 19 June 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/06/19/does-class-size-matter-dont-ask-bill-
gates-ask-a-teacher/>.
"Georgia's children will begin reaping benefits of lower class sizes."
Georgia Association of Educators. N.p., Fall 2006. Web. 12 Sept. 2011.
<http://gae2.org/content.asp?contentid=1062>.
Toppo, Greg. "Size alone makes small classes better for kids." USA Today. N.p., 24 Mar. 2008.
Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-03-24-small-
classes_N.htm>.