tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432976.post5056512774988756532..comments2023-08-10T07:41:11.827-07:00Comments on Bajillion: How Parents Choose SchoolsTommaso Sciortinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13682166317937996902noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432976.post-89102941171641198792007-06-12T10:14:00.000-07:002007-06-12T10:14:00.000-07:00The only thing that meta-analysis says about incom...The only thing that meta-analysis says about income is that if you use the black/white gap as a stand-in for income, even though that gap has diminished as class sizes have decreased, it doesn't look like those two trends are causally related.<BR/><BR/>It also does mention some other criteria - like future earnings - but none of ones you mention, I don't think.<BR/><BR/>As for Oakland, how many of those schools are gambling on smaller class sizes, and how many are just gambling on smaller <I>schools</I>? My understanding of the research is that the latter definitely have some benefits in terms of things like drop-out rates (at the cost of certain course offerings.)<BR/><BR/>Plus, as I was talking to somebody about at lunch today, teachers almost always prefer smaller class sizes, so as a policy it could always be defended as labor-oriented rather than student-oriented.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13510253316398518908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31432976.post-62053569798937555812007-06-11T19:29:00.000-07:002007-06-11T19:29:00.000-07:00I'm curious about two things in that study: First,...I'm curious about two things in that study: <BR/>First, did the study control for or otherwise examine the effect of income level on achievement and class size? In other words, might low-income students benefit from smaller class sizes where others did not? A lot of charter schools in Oakland are gambling on this very idea. <BR/><BR/>Second, I noticed that they measured achievement based on standardized tests. I know, I know, NCLB has to make everything all quantifiable, but I'd be curious to know if small class size could lead to achievement if measured under different criteria, such as portfolio, written exam, or college acceptance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com