I am going to start with this statement before getting into the blog post: When you disagree, find where you agree, and move forward from there.
As I share throughout “Forward, Together,” we often agree on the destination but get stuck on the path.
With that in mind, I am going to start with a question that has been asked for as long as I can remember being involved in education: Does class size matter?
That question alone can spark so many discussions, and if you have ever taught a class, you know that the answer is obvious. You might be able to get the same results with a significantly larger classroom, but only with massive extra energy and time outside the classroom to make it happen.
It is similar to a juggler being good with three items, so we add in two more, and then five. It might look possible, but it’s way harder with ten balls than with three. But the ten items you are juggling are now knives, and they are on fire. Even if it looks like you can do it, it is WAY more complex.
But before I get to the class-size discussion, let me take a slightly different direction.
I saw this post from the former Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, from a recent visit to AlphaSchool.
I am familiar with Francis Suarez, but honestly, I have no idea what his political affiliation is. I am more interested in what he posted.
If you read the caption in his post, he shares the following:
“Great visiting Alpha School Miami. Impressive to see the vision Joe Liemandt is building. Schools should also teach grit, public speaking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.”
This post is less about Alpha School and its process, but more about this statement:
“Schools should also teach grit, public speaking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.”
I want you to think about that statement: Do you know a teacher at any school who would disagree with it?
I don’t at all!
Let’s take it a step further.
Do you know any politician who would disagree with that statement?
Again, I doubt it.
Of course, some would say no, but this is an 80/20 belief, at minimum. 80% of people would agree with this.
So, let’s get back to the original question.
Does class size matter?
Well, yes and no.
Here is an example: if you straight-up lecture students on a topic, does it matter if it is 15, 30, or 60? Of course, we have to always consider behaviors in a K-12 context, but most people who have been in post-secondary education have been in a lecture hall with a wide range of student numbers.
This study has been cited many times to show that class size has little to no effect on student achievement. The following is shared in the abstract:
“Widely cited experimental evidence actually offers little support for general reductions in class size. In sum, while policies to reduce class size may enjoy popular political appeal, such policies are very expensive and, according to the evidence, quite ineffective.”
So, based on that (it is from 1998, and classrooms are so much more complex now), class size doesn’t matter.
People will cite that or other such studies that back up their views on the source.
Now let’s go back to the former mayor’s caption:
“Schools should also teach grit, public speaking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.”
If schools don’t do that, as shared in the video (Skills schools don’t teach), how could they get there?
Think about entrepreneurship specifically.
Is that a big class you can teach that is general, or is that a more personal endeavour?
Even at Alpha School, they pride themselves on providing afternoons for that time, but the adult-to-student ratio is much lower, which allows for personal attention.
If we base our conclusions on what schools used to prioritize, it is easy to say class size doesn’t matter. But if we look at what we now expect from schools, that answer changes.
If we are focusing on where the majority of people want school to go, class size would definitely matter.
What is happening here is that education is being asked to create Netflix through a Blockbuster model.
If we want schools to teach different things than they currently do, we have to focus on what would best support that process, not complain that schools aren’t preparing them for a future based on the thinking, processes, and actions of the past.
There is so much agreement on where people want to see schools go, but we have to align vision, mission, and metrics to support it.
Many things from the past still matter (ie, traditional literacy skills), but we have to act differently if we want different results.
What we expect from schools has changed, but the structures have not. Starting from that shared goal is the best way to move forward.
If this post resonated with you, I encourage you to check out my latest book, “Forward, Together: Moving Schools from Conflict to Community in Contentious Times,” which is not about how we make people agree with us, but how we can make progress together when we disagree.
