Budget Cuts Highlight Class Size Debate

The Huffington Post (10/6, Resmovits) reports on the impact that larger class sizes are having on some New York City schools, noting that according to ED statistics, "student-teacher ratio declined from 22.3 in 1970 to 13.1 in 2008, when class sizes averaged at 20 in elementary schools and 23.4 in secondary schools. But since then, as the recession took its toll, reports from around the country point to a surge in class sizes." The piece notes that the AJA takes aim at the issue, but "beneath the surface of class size explosions because of budget cuts and layoffs and Obama's attempts to fix it, lies a debate about the importance of class sizes, and a move to deliberately increase them to enable investment elsewhere in education." The piece notes Education Secretary Arne Duncan's past comments about the relative value of small class sizes and quality teachers, and notes the controversy this has caused.