MEA Votes

We've been talking a lot about class size lately. But right now, MEA members in Wayne-Westland are walking that talk - on the picket line.

They are pushing for a fair and equitable contract settlement that provides students with the small class sizes they deserve. Current class sizes there are WAY too high - with 36 students in some elementary classes and 38 in the high school classes, there isn't enough time for one-on-one instruction.

Throughout 2008, MEA has been holding hearings all over the state about Michigan’s dropout crisis and what works to keep students in school. Today is the final one of those hearings in Kalamazoo. (To learn more about this effort, go to www.mea.org/dropouts.)

One of the things we’ve heard at every hearing is the need for individual attention for students – attention that makes students feel cared for and helps make what’s going on in school feel relevant to their life and interests.

But it’s hard to forge those critical relationships and make things relevant to individuals when you’re teaching five classes of 35 students each.

As a former teacher and current union organizer, I am glad to hear that education continues to be a priority this campaign. It is not the top issue, but at least candidates aren’t overlooking it altogether.

So, I started thinking about education reform. And as a former educator, I know that one of the most important pieces of the reform debate should focus on class size.

When a teacher or paraeducator has a classroom with 30 or more students, with little to no room to move about, they spend most of their time trying to keep order and maintain discipline. It is just a fact. Most research says that 15 students to 1 teacher is best.

Students are back in school, but are they learning in classrooms with too many students? Class size -- and the amount of one-on-one attention a student receives from a teacher -- impacts student performance.