Reply to Fairfax County: McLean Citizens Association demands smaller class sizes

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[quote=Anonymous]Is there any research which shows the effect of smaller class sizes and instructional coaches on these schools with small class sizes? I'm not familiar with too many schools, but just looking at one near the start of the alphabet, Bucknell Elementary it is currently 250 students under capacity which could mean about 10 classrooms are being unused. It has a grades 1-6 school size of 290 with an average class size of 16 children. The school has an instructional coach and a title one resource teacher plus numerous assistants and ESOL teachers to help out in the twelve 16 student classrooms. It looks like all the housing stock is single family homes and duplexes and the school is next door to a park and private swim club that offers swim, dive, and tennis. They still have a failure rate of 50% for reading even in the 6th grade, but only 2 children typically fail the math SOL which is typical of any school. So on paper it appears the math instruction is going very well despite the school not having a math specialist and the reading instruction not well. Are there studies why it is that the failure rate is so high at a school like this and whether all these resources and additional teachers are really going to good use? Is it that the children are just coming in to the school in 5th and 6th grade and can't catch up or is this a problem for the kids starting in 1st grade as well? No amount of resources would make that school pass if they are considered a failing school based on many kids starting in the 6th grade from another country. Could it be something else other than class size that would help them? I don't want schools to fail, but I also want to understand why these schools are underperforming and how to best utilize instructors and buildings in FCPS when other schools are 250 students over capacity.[/quote]

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