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Overcrowding in schools essay
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It's Time to Lower the Teacher to Student Ratio
Growing up is hard enough to do in this day and age, but even more so when a small child's education is sacrificed. Today's classrooms, kindergarten through college levels, are experiencing a significant rise in the number of students in each class. This brings the teacher-to-student ratio to an unacceptable level. Teachers cannot effectively teach their students if there are too many in a single class. Therefore, it is extremely important for the United States' educational system to take an in-depth investigation into this situation and work towards a better way for our children to learn in a more focused environment. For our children's sake and for our future, we all must assist in finding a way to lower the teacher-to-student ratio.
The long and short-term benefits of reducing class size affect the students and the teachers and will continue into the future. By reducing a class to an average of eighteen students, teachers are able to spend more one-on-one time with each student. In fact, in a study done in the United Kingdom proved that, "Outcomes showed that in smaller classes the teachers interacted more effectively with the entire class, had more sustained interactions (25 seconds or more) with individual students, and required less time to manage individual student's routines" (Hargreaves, et al 123). Interactions, such as these, are especially important to those children in kindergarten through the third grade. With focuses on reading, writing, and math on children in this early stage of their education, research is showing that these children will "carry the effects of a small class with them throughout the remainder of their academic...
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...ize on Teacher-Pupil Interaction in Elementary School Classes in England: Does Research Merely Confirm the Obvious? Paper prepared for the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, March 1997. ED 409 123.
Molnar, Alex., et al. 1997-98 Results of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) Program. December 1998. Milwaukee, WI: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Shields, Patrick M., et al. Teaching and California's Future. The Status of the Teaching Profession: Research Findings and Policy Recommendations. A Report to the Teaching and California's Future Task Force. Santa Cruz, California: The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, 1999. 158 pages.
U.S. Department of Education. Reducing Class Size: What Do We Know? Washington, DC: Author, 1998. 17 pages. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ReducingClass/.
Although I live in a small city, the class sizes at my school are large. My larger classes have made it difficult to get the individual help I want, and I know from past experiences that I function at a higher level in a smaller classroom setting. Flagler’s smaller class sizeof 17/1 is very important to me and will benefit to my success.
“Of course class size is important. You have to find the child before you can teach the child (Archived… 2000).” Though this opinion may seem radical to most people, you can see the underlying theme in the argument. Smaller classes allow students to have more personalized, individual attention from teachers. Many teachers and smaller class size advocates believe that such classes will allow for more constructive group activities, strengthen students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills, and accommodate for a wide range of learning paces. These advocates also believe that a reduced student to teacher ratio will give teachers more time to be innovative and develop new ideas, lead class discussions to further understanding, and give more practice exercises. For parents who want the best education for their children, these proposed effects of small class size make you wonder where the hard evidence is to back them.
is the answer? I think that if it was possible to know that, than we
After questioning teachers whom have taught within larger classroom sizes and then transitioning to smaller sizes, they mentioned only great things about it all. “The findings from this research show that although class size is not the only factor influencing teaching, teachers in large classes believe that class size is a major aspect that impacts on the different teaching methods adopted.” (Almulla). Not every student is built the same way, they have different cultures and support. Some may lack language skills, communication skills or just simply learning skills. “According to Farrant’s (2000) documentation, in a crowded class, there are little participation per pupil supports the foregoing viewpoint.” (Kewaza). Smaller classes allow for the teacher to capitalize on the opportunities presented to them by each student and develop a variety of teaching strategies for each
But the truth is that smaller classes and better teachers do improve student achievement. Members of our government claim that giving more money to schools will not make a difference, but the government funding for schools needs to be used effectively to see a change in student performance. (Connell)
Education is an integral part of society, school helps children learn social norms as well as teach them how to be successful adults. The school systems in United States, however are failing their students. In the world as a whole, the United States is quickly falling behind other countries in important math and reading scores. The United States ranked thirtieth in math on a global scale and twentieth in literacy. This is even more true in more urban, lower socio-economic areas in the United States. These schools have lower test scores and high dropout rates. In Trenton Central High School West, there was an 83% proficiency in literacy and only 49% of the students were proficient in math. Many of these students come from minority backgrounds and are often from low income families. There are many issues surrounding these urban schools. There is a severe lack of proper funding in these districts, and much of the money they do receive is sanctioned for non-crucial things. Schools also need a certain level of individualization with their students, and in many urban classes, this simply does not happen. While there are many factors affecting the low performance of urban schools, the lack of proper funding and distribution of funds, the cultural divide between teachers and students in urban districts, along with the lack of individualization in urban classrooms are crucial reasons to explain the poor performance in these districts. Through a process of teacher lead budget committees and further teacher education, urban schools can be transformed and be better equipped to prepare their students for the global stage.
Teachers and students interact with each other more out of a day than most students interact with their parents.
...ned. A group study published by the Teachers College Record Journal compares high school students who attended small classes to those who did not. The results reveal that students who participated in smaller classes were “2.5 months ahead in all school subjects, and as much as five months ahead in some, compared to their counterparts who attended regular classes” (Finn et al. 168). Similar research supports that idea that small classes produce even greater long-term benefits when class-size reduction is extended for additional years during primary education. Longitudinal studies reveal that a longer duration in small class primary education equates to more considerable, enduring benefits in secondary education (Finn et al. 166). The seemingly short-term participation in class-size reduction enhances a student’s entire academic career and chance for achievement.
During Shakespeare's time social classification was much more rigid than today and some members of society were considered superior to other members. Shakespeare provides an example of this rigid social structure through his play, The Tempest. Shakespeare illustrates how superior men differentiated themselves from lesser beings on the basis of race, financial status, and gender. Through the character of Prospero, Shakespeare provides and example of one, who had reason to feel superior, yet treated others equally and with the respect due to them.
Class sizes in America have been on a constant rise for years now, with little help from a budget, and almost no recovery from a slumping economy, which brings to light the age-old discussion; does class size really matter? With class sizes rising at a constant rate there is also no relief for students. There are many students who tend to struggle in certain subjects, and a smaller class could mean more individual time with a teacher and that could help improve their knowledge and comprehension of the subject. Our students are in classes day in and day out that are simply too big for even the finest teachers to handle, which impairs each individual’s learning. Therefore if teachers had fewer students this would enable them to give more individual teaching time to each student. Class size is important, and it has a large impact on our student’s education and that is why class size should be cut, specifically in Pre-K to third grade classes or classes which serve the most “at-risk” students.
Districts have to think about if it is worth the money to reduce class sizes, and if there is enough proof that students are academically better off in smaller class size rather than larger classes. According to Matthew Chingos and Grover Whitehurt authors of Class Size: What Research Says and What It Means for State Policy, “Increasing the pupil/teacher ratio in the U.S. by one student would save at least $12 billion per year in teacher salary cost alone” (Chingos, Whitehurt). Why would districts want to pay for the creation of smaller classes when they could save more by just adding more students to a class? This goes to show that there should not be a price tag on someone’s education. Why put more on a teacher’s plate just to save money? With the result from the Student Teacher Ratio, it is hard for districts to say that having smaller class sizes is not the way to spend money. If the districts spent the money on the class size reduction, they would not have to worry about an annual cost, because once small classes are set in place, the districts do not have to continue to pay. According to the National Education Association (NEA), having class size reductions do not only involve money but also create “improved health, less Medicaid coverage, lower crime rates, and fewer welfare recipients” (Class Size Reduction: A Proven Strategy). So, the districts should also look at this before being concerned to where their money goes. The district’s money, according to the NEA, is going into these students who will live a better life later on when they are out of school and into the real
In developing relationships with learners, Freire suggested spending time talking and listening to students in order to get to know them and to gain their participation in class. That admonition has been incorporated into practice by numerous other educators. While many of the strategies in Tom Daly’s book were simple classroom management tips (2013)...
Each student needs the teacher to give them more than five minutes of attention to them when they are in class. In the article "How important is class size?"by GreatSchools Staff “Academic gains are not the only benefit of lowering class size. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health revealed that reducing class sizes in elementary schools may be more cost-effective than most public health and medical interventions. This is because students in smaller classes are more likely to graduate from high school, and high school graduates earn more and also enjoy significantly better health than high school dropouts.” The article is stating that children with a group of 20 students in class a sufficient for the students. Student can ask assistants form teacher without having to wait too long than in a lager class it becomes chaotic with too many students. In a smaller classroom student comprehend much more of the lesson and this will help student in the future from dropping out for school. This will improve with funding school hiring more teachers to have a functional
Going to school and getting a great education is important for a successful future in today’s world. Years ago, many children did not go to school and many young adults opted to work instead of attending college. In today’s society, gaining a high level of education is almost always mandatory for many jobs. There are many changes being done to the education system along with new items and ways of teaching in the classroom. There is a growing amount of changes in the classroom such as technology, teaching time, teaching styles, and freedom of space.
Second, end overcrowded classes, as population grows the demand of building more schools grow with it. In average, we should have six-hundred to eight-hundred students in each school. Nevertheless, some schools now have over one-thousand students, which make it very difficult inside the class room. In a big city like Raleigh the number of students is very large, and that leads to so many problems like making around year school, which have a negative impact on the students. Students will be able to understand more when there are fewer numbers inside the class room.