Making Class Sizes Smaller May Be More Cost-Effective Than Most Medical Interventions

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8895200797299787815.post-80138507109083439772007-10-19T23:47:00.000-05:002007-10-21T11:40:06.919-05:00Making Class Sizes Smaller May Be More Cost-Effective Than Most Medical InterventionsWell hopefully in the next month the board will have moved on from the never-ending boundary issue and I think the SAGE committee report is up next. I recently read a very timely article regarding smaller class sizes, you can read it <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85818.php">here</a> or <a href="http://www.cfah.org/hbns/getDocument.cfm?documentID=1582">here</a> . Here are some interesting comments from the articles: "The study indicates that class-size reductions would generate more quality-adjusted life-year gains per dollar invested than the majority of medical interventions. " "Project STAR is considered the highest quality long-term experiment to date in the field of education. " Project STAR is what the Wisconsin SAGE program is based on. Project STAR randomly assigned teachers and students to classes with either 22 to 25 students or 13 to 17 students. SAGE went much further than that, first there is no "random assignment" and SAGE requires a rigorous curriculum, professional development for teachers, and family involvement. "The researchers acknowledged “some uncertainty” about whether the results of the Tennessee study could be reproduced nationwide or could “produce substantive health benefits,” but said their analysis suggests that reductions in class sizes would save money from the societal perspective." "The researchers estimate that reducing class sizes would mean an additional 72,000 to 140,000 students would graduate high school each year, producing net savings of $14 billion to $24 billion." During the whole boundary mess you have people saying "just direct the resources to where the need is". Yet, many of the same people are opposed to SAGE because they say it is too costly or it is unfair or unproven. Those comments would be laughable if they weren't so ill informed yet widely believed. Just remember the researchers that came up with this latest study were not from a school of education but rather from the medical field, a school of Public Health. Not that it will matter to many of the naysayers, I don't post this information for those who care nothing about the facts and just want to criticize with no data of their own, I post it for those who really want to learn more and understand the issues... I hope there are a few out there.Teresa Thielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097990067216672469noreply@blogger.com