05/18/19 THE VERDICT IS ALREADY IN: CLASS SIZE MATTERS

THE VERDICT IS ALREADY IN: CLASS SIZE MATTERS

''Should Uncle Sam pour more bucks into schools?'' (Social Issues, Apr. 20) fails to depict the many reasons why reducing class size now can help our students. Smaller classes provide more individual attention for students, bring more order to classrooms, and improve the teaching and learning environment. In particular, research has suggested that students in early grades are most likely to benefit from smaller classes. Small classes in the early grades will help ensure that students master the basics and enter higher grades with the best foundation possible.
Tennessee's Project STAR study is a landmark study in educational research. It is the only large-scale, randomized, and controlled study on class-size reduction. For four years, the STAR study followed 7,500 students in more than 300 classrooms in 79 schools, from kindergarten to grade 3. It found that students in small classes substantially outperformed those in larger classes. Follow-up studies show that for a significant portion of the same students, these gains persisted throughout elementary school. We do not agree about the need to wait for additional findings before embarking on critical initiatives.
Marshall S. Smith
Acting Deputy Secretary
Education Dept.
Washington