Smaller may not be better
The Ottawa Citizen
Wed 31 Aug 2005
Page: C4

Section: City
Page Name: City Editorial
Byline:
Source: The
Ottawa Citizen

Ontario needs to go back to the books and rethink its
education spending in light of an analysis that suggests the goal of smaller
class sizes might not be worthwhile.

The report, by Yvan Guillemette at the C.D. Howe Institute,
analyses several studies and the results of Canadian standardized tests. It
concludes that students do perform a bit better in classes of 20 or less -- but
only in kindergarten or Grade 1.

The report suggests class size makes a difference to young students because
they are developing techniques to cope with school. It also raises the
possibility that some less-qualified teachers might have to be hired as school
boards cast their nets wider to get enough teachers for the smaller classes.

Gerard Kennedy, Ontario's education minister, counters that smaller class
sizes make the workload lighter for teachers, which could allow them to spend
more time training.

The province needs to do more research to determine the effect of class-size
reduction on teacher quality. And it must seek more information on the effect of
class size on students. That research must isolate class size from other efforts
to improve education. If the research shows smaller classes don't have much
positive effect on learning, the province must not be afraid to change its
policies.

Hiring new teachers is expensive. It shouldn't be done just because it seems
like a good idea. In the last 18 months, Ontario has announced $216 million for
new teachers to reduce class sizes.

The government is working on several education strategies, but every dollar
it spends on reducing class sizes is a dollar it can't spend elsewhere.

Edition: Final
Story Type: Editorial
Length:
271 words