As I was continuing my research in this area I came upon a startling bit of TRUTH that I missed in my last post. I was incorrect in stating that the class size amendment was loosened by voters last November. It fell just short of the 60% it needed to pass, so take that how you will, the amendment stands as it was passed and I need to improve my research skills.
I also looked into a few reviews of some studies done on the class size amendment and its effects on our schools and those in Tennessee. Most of the preliminary results show that there wasn't a big difference unless the teachers knew that they were being studied. Big surprise right? A human performing better when they know they are under scrutiny... It also appeared to work better on a smaller scale (in Tennessee) than on a state wide scale (Florida). This may be attributed to overall better funding or to a lack of enthusiasm in Florida as it was more of a pain than a fun experiment.
If there was one thing I learned from my statistics professor, aside from how NOT to teach (or do my hair), it was that correlation does not imply causation. Meaning that just because the schools that participated in the class size reduction in Tennessee saw improved results, does not mean that it was caused by the class size reduction. It also means that even though Florida didn't show much improvement there still may be hope for the class size amendment. I can't say for sure whether I believe that smaller class sizes are beneficial to our students or not, but I still maintain that Florida could clean up the process.
I agree with you as far as Florida cleaning up the process. However, I wonder if there is much research on the effects of class size on students. I think it would have to depend on the type of student and it wouldn't be something we could standardize.
ReplyDeleteI must say I agree with you as well. Obviously there is a lot of room for improvement, that's easy to see, but it's not always easy to see what exactly needs to be done. It's nice to be able to tell parents that their kids will be taught in a classroom with a smaller number of children, but simple math to figure out how to do it needs to be done as well. Looks as though whoever wrote this amendment didn't learn how to "think critically!"
ReplyDeleteI hope there is progress in Florida's edication system, but with the recent budget cuts it looks as though the law makers will just continue chasing their own tails.
My fingers are crossed for improvement in the Florida education system (I don't really want to HAVE to move out of state to teach when I get my degree). It's interesting that the research showed little difference between the class sizes. Obviously, a teacher is going to act differently if they know somebody is watching them, but I feel like the smaller classes should have gotten more out of the lesson and had better classroom management. I guess not everything is what it seems, but I do agree with you that Florida needs to "clean up the process."
ReplyDeleteEvan's Mom- I agree with you. I think that there needed to be more research done well before they implemented this idea into the school systems. After we have invested so much money and effort in to this, I feel it is a little late to look back and say 'I wonder if this is actually effective?' Though I am a firm believer in better late than never.
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