MEA Votes

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.

Countless studies examining ways to improve American students' academic performance have found that smaller is better when it comes to class size. The benefits of smaller classes go beyond calculating higher future earnings for students. They also include some less obvious lifetime benefits to students and the community, such as improved health, less need for Medicaid coverage, lower crime rates, and fewer welfare recipients.

Students in smaller classes, especially in the early grades, receive more one-on-one attention. The NEA recommends 15 students in grades K-1 and no more than 18 students in a class for grades 2-5.

The federal government can support local and state efforts to reduce class size. We need to make sure our next president supports efforts to reduce class sizes so all students get the individualized attention they need to learn.

By Karen Schulz, MEA Communications