By Ken Scherpelz, Vice President of Sales and Business Development
The dip in the U.S. economy is having an effect on class sizes. As state revenues go down, the number of students in an average classroom is going up. As a result, classrooms across the country will be more crowded when school starts in the fall. A recent survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that 44 percent of school districts expected to increase class size.
For the 2009-2010 school year, classes in Los Angeles are expected to grow by two students in 4th through 12th grades. Middle school classes will have 35 students on average; juniors and seniors will have about 43 students in each class. Kindergarten through 3rd-grade classes will rise by four students to 24.
Very large classes can keep teachers from teaching because their time is spent keeping order. Crowded classrooms also increase the chance that struggling students may fall through the cracks. There is evidence that being in small classes early on improves a student's chance of graduating from high school or taking the SAT or ACT college entrance exams.
As a former teacher, research and statistics meant very little to me when I had 31 second graders who needed to learn how to read. I had to manage my classroom and give as much time as possible so I could work with every child every day. It is no small task, especially with today’s classrooms where teachers are expected to do so much more than just teach the 3 Rs. Many publishers are making classroom management procedures a significant part of the teacher materials to help teachers effectively manage the learning environment. At PSG, we take care in creating effective teacher materials. Your clients are OUR clients, too.
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