If a school historically has a low enrollment rate, what is the role of a Principal to try increase enrollment so class size does not become large? Should they ask the District Superintendent to allow the neighboring overcrowded school to re-route some of their children to your school? Should you hold open houses to encourage increased enrollment, or should you appeal to the Chancellor to allow your school to be a model for a small class size initiative that he says can not occur in the current climate. If this is a small school with a small enrollment why not take the chance? Can this be done in a New York City School, with an enrollment of 34 children in a grade, or should you just have the one class with 34, if the cap is 32. Is it acceptable to have a teacher and a para professional in an upper grade class (in an elementary school) with today's high stake testing requirements? What happens when your school starts to slip behind in the standardized testing, what is the ultimate price to the student, or are students not even in the equation anymore? Is it just data in an $80 million computer that matters.
On the other hand what is the role of the parents on this issue? They are the ones who paid money to move to the neighborhood to let their children go to the excellent school.
The parents need to fight for the right for their children to receive a decent education in NYC. What is the middle ground? I know work together for the greater good.
You can not ask schools to continue to succeed if you are going to increase class size and take teachers out of the classroom. It just does not add up.
Showing posts with label small class size. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small class size. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
We the Students
I loved this story in USA Today about the second grade teacher Diane Schmiesing teaching her children how to write a Constitution for their classroom. I also noticed she had 19 students (ooh a small class they do exist), what a great way to teach younger children about how laws work.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
The Mayor hears the Parents
Mr. Bloomberg hears the Parents. He hears that the Parents want Charter Schools. He was lobbying hard for Charter Schools saying that is what the Parents want.
I being a Parent will tell you what I want, and some other parents that I have conversations with. While we are at it lets throw in a teacher or two.
1) We would like to see smaller class size. With an experienced or inexperienced teacher . The only way to become experienced is to teach, and to teach in a class of 16 instead of a class of 36 will help you to become experienced.
2) We would like you to hear all of us. You know the real parents. Not just the parents that nod their heads and say you go for it Mayor Mike you da man.
3) We want NEW SCHOOLS. Lets start with New High Schools since High Schools are the most overcrowded.
4)We want you to stop experimenting with our children. They are not lab rats they are human beings who deserve to be educated to help run our society in the coming years. There really are not enough service jobs for all of the students, some of them do need to be able to run the City when you are no longer Mayor.
And lastly
Stop speaking for me, telling me that I am not a real parent. What defines a real parent anyway Mayor Mike I truly would like to know your definition of it.
I like every other New Yorker pay my taxes (and plenty of them) with the paying of my taxes I get to have a voice. The only problem is how to get you to hear it.
I being a Parent will tell you what I want, and some other parents that I have conversations with. While we are at it lets throw in a teacher or two.
1) We would like to see smaller class size. With an experienced or inexperienced teacher . The only way to become experienced is to teach, and to teach in a class of 16 instead of a class of 36 will help you to become experienced.
2) We would like you to hear all of us. You know the real parents. Not just the parents that nod their heads and say you go for it Mayor Mike you da man.
3) We want NEW SCHOOLS. Lets start with New High Schools since High Schools are the most overcrowded.
4)We want you to stop experimenting with our children. They are not lab rats they are human beings who deserve to be educated to help run our society in the coming years. There really are not enough service jobs for all of the students, some of them do need to be able to run the City when you are no longer Mayor.
And lastly
Stop speaking for me, telling me that I am not a real parent. What defines a real parent anyway Mayor Mike I truly would like to know your definition of it.
I like every other New Yorker pay my taxes (and plenty of them) with the paying of my taxes I get to have a voice. The only problem is how to get you to hear it.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
A mommy brag
Remember my older guy the one that I spoke about here. The one who had no confidence since he was screwed by the system?
Well I am happy and proud to say that his student advisor at his University asked him to run for Student Government President!!!
Small class size does not work. Give me a break.
But Kleinberg do know it works, since their children were not educated in the Public system. If they were I am sure the rest of the 1.1 million children would not be receiving the education that they are today.
Well I am happy and proud to say that his student advisor at his University asked him to run for Student Government President!!!
Small class size does not work. Give me a break.
But Kleinberg do know it works, since their children were not educated in the Public system. If they were I am sure the rest of the 1.1 million children would not be receiving the education that they are today.
A letter from Professors asking for small class size
Thank you to the following Professors that signed their names to this letter.
Bravo!
Dear Governor Spitzer and members of the State Legislature:
As professors of education, we are writing to strongly recommend that a significant portion of the additional funds that New York City public schools are due to receive be devoted to lowering class size in all grades. No teacher, no matter how skilled or well prepared, can be as effective in the large classes that exist in most of our city’s public schools. New York City classrooms are in fact larger than those in suburban and rural school districts across New York State. Yet, New York City students, are more likely to be English Language Learners and/or living in poverty and thus require more individual attention and help from their teachers than average students in the rest of the state. The systemic disadvantage of being placed in classes of 28 students or more cannot be overcome through even the most sophisticated teacher education and professional development.
Though schools in high-poverty neighborhoods need smaller classes than most other schools, every New York City public school should benefit from class sizes as small as those that currently exist throughout the rest of the state. The research on class size is quite convincing and demonstrates that students learn more in smaller (17 or less) and medium size classes (24 or less) than in larger classes (25 or more). Reducing class sizes is also correlated with a reduction in referral rates to special education.[1] As shown in the Chancellor’s District, the implementation of smaller classes is likely to lead, over time, to a much lower number of such referrals; which is, of course, a significant source of both cost savings, and substantially improved outcomes for students.
Smaller classes throughout the system and in all grades are also necessary to ensure the successful inclusion of children with disabilities into general education classrooms, which is, of course, a key point in IDEA. Finally, over time, smaller classes are likely to lead to higher quality teaching in two important ways: First, all teachers are more effective in smaller classes, no matter what their skill, teacher preparation, or experience level. In addition, class size reduction will likely lead to lower teacher attrition rates, which in New York City are twice as high as elsewhere in the state. Teachers consistently cite large class sizes as a key impediment to their effectiveness and student learning outcome studies back this up.
We believe strongly that more equitable outcomes depend on more equity in opportunity. There is no better way to achieve this goal, and improve teaching and learning in our public schools, than to invest a significant portion of these additional funds to lower class size.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Ancess, Ed.D., Co-Director, NCREST, Teachers College
Chuck Achilles, Ph.D., Seton Hall
Lee Ann Bell, Ed.D., Director, Barnard Education Program
David Bloomfield, Program Head, Educational Leadership, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Martin Blum, Assistant Dean, Hofstra University
Judith M. Burton, Professor and Director of Art and Art Education
James Corter, Associate Professor, Teachers College
Dr. Jeremy D. Finn, Professor of Education, State University of New York at Buffalo
Doris Fromberg, Ed.D., Director, Early Childhood Teacher Education, Hofstra University
William Gaudelli, Associate Professor, Teachers College
A. Lin Goodwin, Professor and Associate Dean, Teachers College
Barbara Hawkins, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Teachers College
Barbara Hruska, Assistant Professor, Teachers College
Judith Kaufman, Ph.D., Department Chair, Curriculum and Instruction, Hofstra University
Nancy Lesko, Professor, Teachers College
Maureen Miletta, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Hofstra University
Janet Miller, Professor, Teachers College
Celia Oyler, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
Diane Ravitch, New York University
Susan Recchia, Associate Professor of Education, Teachers College
Luis O. Reyes, Ph.D., Visiting Fellow, Bronx Institute, Lehman College
Cathy Rikhye, Ed.D, Teachers College
Susan Reimer Sacks, Professor, Barnard College
Spencer Salend, Professor, SUNY New Paltz
Nancy Schniedewind, Professor, SUNY New Paltz
Jacqueline Shannon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Brooklyn College
Alan Singer, Ph.D., Professor of Curriculum and Teaching, Hofstra University
Robin M. Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Special Education, SUNY New Paltz
Dr. Susan Goetz Zwirn, Graduate Director, Hofstra University
Bravo!
Dear Governor Spitzer and members of the State Legislature:
As professors of education, we are writing to strongly recommend that a significant portion of the additional funds that New York City public schools are due to receive be devoted to lowering class size in all grades. No teacher, no matter how skilled or well prepared, can be as effective in the large classes that exist in most of our city’s public schools. New York City classrooms are in fact larger than those in suburban and rural school districts across New York State. Yet, New York City students, are more likely to be English Language Learners and/or living in poverty and thus require more individual attention and help from their teachers than average students in the rest of the state. The systemic disadvantage of being placed in classes of 28 students or more cannot be overcome through even the most sophisticated teacher education and professional development.
Though schools in high-poverty neighborhoods need smaller classes than most other schools, every New York City public school should benefit from class sizes as small as those that currently exist throughout the rest of the state. The research on class size is quite convincing and demonstrates that students learn more in smaller (17 or less) and medium size classes (24 or less) than in larger classes (25 or more). Reducing class sizes is also correlated with a reduction in referral rates to special education.[1] As shown in the Chancellor’s District, the implementation of smaller classes is likely to lead, over time, to a much lower number of such referrals; which is, of course, a significant source of both cost savings, and substantially improved outcomes for students.
Smaller classes throughout the system and in all grades are also necessary to ensure the successful inclusion of children with disabilities into general education classrooms, which is, of course, a key point in IDEA. Finally, over time, smaller classes are likely to lead to higher quality teaching in two important ways: First, all teachers are more effective in smaller classes, no matter what their skill, teacher preparation, or experience level. In addition, class size reduction will likely lead to lower teacher attrition rates, which in New York City are twice as high as elsewhere in the state. Teachers consistently cite large class sizes as a key impediment to their effectiveness and student learning outcome studies back this up.
We believe strongly that more equitable outcomes depend on more equity in opportunity. There is no better way to achieve this goal, and improve teaching and learning in our public schools, than to invest a significant portion of these additional funds to lower class size.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Ancess, Ed.D., Co-Director, NCREST, Teachers College
Chuck Achilles, Ph.D., Seton Hall
Lee Ann Bell, Ed.D., Director, Barnard Education Program
David Bloomfield, Program Head, Educational Leadership, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Martin Blum, Assistant Dean, Hofstra University
Judith M. Burton, Professor and Director of Art and Art Education
James Corter, Associate Professor, Teachers College
Dr. Jeremy D. Finn, Professor of Education, State University of New York at Buffalo
Doris Fromberg, Ed.D., Director, Early Childhood Teacher Education, Hofstra University
William Gaudelli, Associate Professor, Teachers College
A. Lin Goodwin, Professor and Associate Dean, Teachers College
Barbara Hawkins, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Teachers College
Barbara Hruska, Assistant Professor, Teachers College
Judith Kaufman, Ph.D., Department Chair, Curriculum and Instruction, Hofstra University
Nancy Lesko, Professor, Teachers College
Maureen Miletta, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Hofstra University
Janet Miller, Professor, Teachers College
Celia Oyler, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
Diane Ravitch, New York University
Susan Recchia, Associate Professor of Education, Teachers College
Luis O. Reyes, Ph.D., Visiting Fellow, Bronx Institute, Lehman College
Cathy Rikhye, Ed.D, Teachers College
Susan Reimer Sacks, Professor, Barnard College
Spencer Salend, Professor, SUNY New Paltz
Nancy Schniedewind, Professor, SUNY New Paltz
Jacqueline Shannon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Brooklyn College
Alan Singer, Ph.D., Professor of Curriculum and Teaching, Hofstra University
Robin M. Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Special Education, SUNY New Paltz
Dr. Susan Goetz Zwirn, Graduate Director, Hofstra University
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