Reply to I don't understand the deal with MoCo class size

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Reply to "I don't understand the deal with MoCo class size"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

That's not actually what the studies show.  [b]The studies show that the benefits aren't statistically significant going from 25 to 24.  It doesn't mean that there aren't benefits.[/b]  
And, really, why is there always this straw man of "better to have a good teacher with a big class than a bad teacher with a small class"?  As if having smaller class sizes means having worse teachers?  That's not the choice presented here.  Just an attempt to deflect.[/quote]

It actually does mean exactly that. If something isn't statistically significant (at whatever level of statistical significance you decide to use), that means that it could very well have happened due to random chance.

And empirically, having small class sizes often does mean having worse teachers. If you halve the class sizes, you have to double your teacher workforce. Where will those teachers come from? How many good, unemployed teachers are there out there, available for hire? In fact, this is a possible explanation for the lack of effect of lowered class sizes -- that the positive effect of a smaller class was offset by the negative effect of an unqualified teacher.[/quote]

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