School Quality Series: what does class size tell us about quality?

One of the most common questions I used to get as an education analyst who focused on school quality was: how much should we invest in small class sizes? Here is how I think about it as a former education analyst, a mom, and someone who spent years in classrooms.

Part I: The Research

TL;DR: For my kids I want a good teacher even if it means a larger class size.

Digging Deeper:

The research on class size's impact on education outcomes isn't super strong and is somewhat mixed, but I know -- anyone who has spent time in a classroom would say they can't give the same attention to 30 students as they can 12 students (or even 25). However since we're talking anecdotal data, I know teachers whose classroom management makes a class of 15 feel like a class of 100, and teachers who make a class of 30 feel like a class of 15.

Now the data that is not mixed at all is the outsized impact of a quality teacher on education outcomes. Based on research and data, I believe a GOOD teacher in a large class is more impactful than a bad teacher in a small class.

To determine this I ask questions like:

• How are teachers evaluated and how often?
• What kind of support do struggling teachers receive?
• What is teacher tenure like at this school?
• How many "high qualified" (insert the metric your district uses - available on google) are at the school?

Part II: Class Size and Funding

TL;DR: Different parts of the budget determine how many teachers a school has (class size). I want to make sure my kids' teachers are qualified, held to high standards, and receive support and if I see a small class size I have questions about where the funding comes from for that (will I be expected to pay a large PTA membership fee to support smaller classes? do teachers have the same qualifications as the other schools? etc). 

Digging Deeper:

Class size is determined by the school budget which in most cases is determined by the district and/or state. Let's talk funding details for traditional public schools:

• A large part of local funding comes from property taxes, so schools in wealthier districts sometimes have smaller class sizes (depending on the district's priorities).
• Schools are given a certain amount of money per student with more federal funding for students with disabilities and at-risk students, which could impact the number of teachers a school can afford.
• In my district, a very small handful of schools (four to five) use PTA raised funds to pay for additional teachers. This is very rare and not allowed in some places.

Charter schools are a different story and I am only familiar with the practices in my state. Charter schools have more autonomy over their budget and their hiring practices, which means in some cases (not always and perhaps not even often) they can reduce hiring and salary costs by having less requirements for their teachers, supporting less professional development, or hiring less experienced/credentialed teachers.

Because of this, when I see a smaller class size I want to make sure I understand what I might be sacrificing. In some cases it could be certain facilities (i.e. no gym or cafeteria or playground), in some cases they may have supplemental funding, and in some cases it may be lower paid teachers. 

My district's traditional public schools have rigorous standards and evaluations for teachers and I wanted to ensure that if I chose the charter route the teachers would be held to the same standards. 

Given this, I ask questions like:

• Will I be expected to pay additional fees like PTA fees?
• (If I see a class size that is smaller than others in the district): where does the funding for smaller classes come from? 
• What are the qualifications for teachers here?
• What is the professional development requirement for teachers? 

Part III: Other Ways Students Get Support 

TL;DR: There are ways students can get differentiated and individual education besides small classes. 

Digging Deeper: 

Class size doesn't tell me about the additional resources and services at the school. There are all kinds of ways students get differentiated instruction like push-in teachers, pull-out groups, small group interventions, 1:1 tutoring, student teachers, specials, etc. I find major value in my kids' exposure to other adults, other instructional styles, and different teacher qualities throughout the day.

Questions I ask about this:

• What kind of classroom supports are available? 
• Will there be additional people in the classroom throughout the day?
• What type of interventions are there for my child's grade level?

Part IV: Asking Questions About Class Size

These questions can be asked on a school tour, by calling the school, by scheduling a meeting with an administrator, or by asking neighborhood parents whose kids attend the school (note: I do not trust what people who do not have kids at the school have heard about the school). Here is what I ask about class size given the information above