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[quote=Anonymous]I attended.  One dad who spoke called for decreasing class sizes, not just keeping as is - totally agree with him.  If you feel strongly, why didn't you attend or speak?  What peer-reviewed research have you seen that indicates class size does not matter?

I actually prefer the idea of reopening centers or relocatables to decrease class size.  I think it as to be done carefully to avoid splitting siblings, but all academic research I have ever seen indicates that smaller classes are better for ALL students - low, medium, and high achievers.

http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/ClassSize/academic.html

A few findings I have seen as I researched this topic:
- Most studies found benefits for classes under 20 - Arlington is already over that.  I would like to see them get class sizes lower.
- A 2009 study published in the American Journal of Education reported significant positive effects of smaller classes on the achievement gap through eighth grade.  The results consistently indicated that all types of students - low, medium, and high achievers - benefit in later grades from being in smaller classes in earlier grades.

- A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research looked at outcomes from nearly 12,000 students in Tennessee.  Smaller classes in Kindergarten were shown to lead to greater likelihood of attending college, owning a home and a 401K as adults more than 20 years later.

- In 2007, the American Journal of Public Health  reported that reducing class sizes may be more cost-effective than most public health and medical interventions, with  large savings in health care costs and almost two years of additional life for students who were in smaller classes in the early grades.[/quote]

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