What Research Says about Small Classes and their Effects

"Interest in class size is widespread today. Debates often appear about "ideal" class size, and controversial efforts to reduce class size have appeared at the federal level and in various states around the nation. Moreover, a good deal of research has appeared on class size, and controversies have also arisen about that research and its findings. What types of research have appeared on class size to date, what findings have surfaced from that research and how can we explain those findings, why have those findings provoked controversy, and what should we conclude now about class-size policies from research on the topic?"

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