NEWS RELEASE

Class size reduction cited as top spending priority in education: public opinion poll

(CTF News Service - Ottawa) A national public opinion poll reveals that an increasing number of Canadians believe strongly in the correlation between smaller class sizes and improved students’ performance in school.

According to a recent Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) commissioned poll, most Canadians believe that reducing class sizes should be the number one spending priority in education. Some 76 per cent of those surveyed agreed that class sizes in public schools are presently too large.

“In each of the five National Issues in Education polls commissioned by CTF between 1997 and 2004, the Canadian public has cited class size reduction as the most pressing spending priority in education,” explains CTF President Terry Price.

The 2004 poll shows that 26 per cent selected class size reduction as the highest spending priority, followed by 22 per cent for curriculum improvements and 15 per cent for services for students with special needs. Province-wide student achievement tests ranked the lowest with only 5 per cent of the public and 0 per cent of teachers supporting this exercise as a spending priority.

“The public associates small classes with better discipline and with teachers giving more personal attention,” says Ms. Price. “More individualized attention for students means achieving the level of performance that matches the students’ abilities and learning skills.

“The stress that crowded classrooms is putting on young or beginning teachers was also noted by those surveyed. According to the poll results, 77 per cent believed that young or beginning teachers leave the profession after a few years because of large class sizes and increasingly heavy workload. The second reason cited is that schools do not have enough experts and resources to help teachers assist students with special needs. (read CTF news release issued July 7, 2004)

“Teachers with small classes can spend time and energy helping each child succeed. Smaller classes also enhance safety, discipline and order in the classroom. When qualified teachers teach smaller classes, kids learn more. It's simply common sense and studies show that it works to increase student achievement,” says Ms. Price.

“A growing body of research demonstrates that students attending small classes in the early grades make more rapid educational progress than students in larger classes, and that these achievement gains persist well after students move on to larger classes in later grades,” says Ms. Price.

“Teachers have long had concerns with growing class sizes as public education funding has been cut in the last few years. There has been significant research, including Project STAR, the Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio project, which was conducted in Texas in the mid-80s. The study, involving 2.4-million students in Grades 1 through 7, found that student achievement fell as the student/teacher ratio increased for every student above an 18 to 1 ratio. It also found that students in smaller classes significantly outperformed students in regular-sized classes and regular-sized classes with a teacher aide.

“The research is clear, class size is vital to the success of our students. If small class size does improve achievement, then cost should be no obstacle especially if one compares the human and financial costs associated to dropouts and remedial education.

“The time has arrived for the politicians to take note and to reinvest in public education in a meaningful way,” concludes Ms. Price.

The National Issues in Education Poll, commissioned by CTF every two years, gauges the public’s views and opinions on public education in Canada. The Poll was conducted by Vector Research + Development Inc. from May 6 to 11, 2004, with 1,001 Canadians throughout the country. In a sampling theory, in 19 cases out of 20, the results based on a random sample of 1,001 will differ by no more than plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

CTF has 14 provincial and territorial Member organizations representing over 200,000 teachers across the country. Among many of its national initiatives and projects, CTF conducts in-depth research on issues related to education, the teaching profession and children and youth.

Links to Canadian studies and reports on class sizes:

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA):
http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Quick+Links/publications/reports/size.html

British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF):
http://www.bctf.bc.ca/Action/cuts/EdFunding/SpeakUp/ClassSizeMatters.html
http://www.bctf.ca/ResearchReports/99wlc03/report.html

Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS):
http://www.mbteach.org/classsize.htm

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO):
http://www.etfo.on.ca/display_document.htm?ETFO_token=6YF06&id=4395&isdoc=1

Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA):
http://www.oecta.on.ca/pdfs/classsize.pdf