We had 30+ kids in my classes......

[Vicki Blier]

And I did fine (more or less).

BUT- there is no doubt that there were kids who did *not* do fine.

Did *not* get the attention that could have given them better prospects. 

Did *not* end up in Lexington.

And my father's car didn't have seat belts. 

But I did fine.

Vicki Blier

Pct. 9

[Charles Hornig]

And as my father likes to remind me, he had 40+ in his elementary school
class and he did fine. He also drove around with 3 small children
(including me) in the back of the station wagon without seats, much less
seat belts.

Charles Hornig, Pct. 8

[George Burnell]

And I would have been killed long ago if I had been using a seat belt.

The issue here is that a dialog on class size is an appropriate issue in the deliberations. There is nothing magic about the 21.5 students per class being used and some would argue that numbers between 22 and 28 (depending on grade level) work just fine. If so, that makes an important difference in both capital and operating costs  

In a particular college course I am familiar with, the sweet spot was 35 students. So I welcome any input from elementary or secondary teachers on our challenges.

George Burnell, Pct 7 

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[Elaine Ashton]

On Dec 3, 2015, at 4:33 PM, George Burnell <gabu...@gmail.com> wrote:

The issue here is that a dialog on class size is an appropriate issue in the deliberations. There is nothing magic about the 21.5 students per class being used and some would argue that numbers between 22 and 28 (depending on grade level) work just fine. If so, that makes an important difference in both capital and operating costs  

It is an important issue, I agree. Some might argue that smaller class sizes aren’t important, but they probably don’t have children in LPS right now and, because of that, don’t understand the current landscape that is public education in Lexington in 2015, not 1969.

I’m not an early education professional, but my older sister is with over 35 years in the profession, and I consult her at times over these topics of overcrowding and the tales she has to tell are rather eye-opening, particularly in districts which have the patina of affluence and privilege, but which tell a rather different tale in whispers between teachers and those trusted enough to be told.

My daughter, a 3rd-grader at Harrington, is in a class of 26 this year. She has an amazing teacher who is well matched for the 8-9yo children who are at the stage where they think they know everything, but don’t. Imagine a classroom where you have 26 children of varying abilities and needs, 3 of whom speak no English, 2 of whom are SPED and have full-time aides. Add into this the frequent (and mandated) assessments of each and every one of those children, both individually and in groups. The assessment workload alone is huge for teachers. My sister spends countless hours outside of the classroom doing the paperwork for an ever-growing class load. 

I’m challenged by one child who has behaved like a teenager since the age of two, I cannot imagine having 26 in one room all day long having to cater to a wide range of needs and bring them all to a level of academic achievement. Even with an aide, the number of bodies in the classroom is cramped due to desks, reading/literacy area, supplies, cubbies for coats, etc. Sure, we could possibly cram 10 more kids into the room, but I don’t think anyone would consider that ideal or even, possibly, legal. 

The teachers make the system, not the capital assets, but asking them to take on class sizes of 30+ kids, with the modern demands made on teachers, is not just unrealistic it will not serve anyone well. 

Class size matters in terms of educational outcome. 

I suspect that much of Lexington’s school ratings are due to possessing a demographic which values education well beyond national norms, and which supplements education outside of the classroom, both via highly-educated and curious parents, as well as extra-curricular fee-based programs. 

Even so, needs must and the question is; how can we afford to meet both State/Federal requirements AND serve those who don’t have legally mandated needs, both of which are a morally just and righteous goal, AND not bankrupt the large portion of the population who aren’t making $250k+ per year because the tax is based on their property value, rather than their income and assets?

That’s the issue, not what the maximum number of kids in a classroom is the ideal size. 

Elaine

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         -=]) elaine ashton // elaine...@gmail.com // HappyFunBall ([=-

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[Irene Dondley]

I had 30+ kids in my classroom and did fine (being in Lexington is proof positive isn't it?).

I grew up without helmets and seat belts and survived.

I was in a car accident on route 2 and surely would have died if not for the seat belt (and air bag).

Viva improved car safety! Viva smaller classroom sizes!

--Irene

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[David L. Kaufman]

It is certainly true that almost all of us over a certain advanced age survived in classes of 28 or even 35. I “survived" classes of 250 at MIT and even enjoyed one or two. The issue is that those who were less intelligent, or were poorer, with less well educated parents to supplement the schools, did NOT do well. They dropped out and just got jobs on the farms or local factories, or as filing clerks or typists in local offices, that needed lots of unskilled or semi-skilled workers, but most of those jobs are now gone, or overseas.  Even today drop out is a problem in many school systems, and there are schools all over the country that are performing poorly. Does Lexington want to emulate them, or the best? Do we want a significant fraction of our,  or our neighbor’s, children dropping out? The rich kids have extra tutors if the schools are bad, or just go to a private school. There is  a great deal of evidence that smaller class sizes are directly correlated with better academic achievement. Art on a cart, for a year or so, will probably not ruin your entire life, even if you want to become an artist, but bigger class sizes in core curriculum can make it harder for everyone in the class to get the personal attention they need from the teacher.

( I also “survived”  one significant collision on Route 128 without a scratch just because i always wear my seat belt.)

David L. Kaufman, Pct 6


In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is. .... Yogi Berra

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