Badger InstituteBadger Institute
  • Home
  • Issues
    • Taxes
    • Education
    • Crime & Justice
    • Spending & Accountability
    • Economy & Infrastructure
    • Licensing
    • Healthcare
    • Civil Society
  • Mandate for Madison
  • Research
  • Magazines
    • Diggings
    • Wisconsin Interest
  • Events
  • Media
    • Podcast
    • Fact Sheets
    • Viewpoints
    • Press Releases
    • Badger in the News
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Testimony
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • Visiting Fellows
    • America’s Future
    • Careers
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest news and updates from Badger Institute.

What's New

Wisconsin lawmakers in the dark on broadband

March 16, 2023

The underfunded part of Wisconsin public schooling

March 16, 2023

If we don’t pay for roads, we don’t get mobility

March 9, 2023
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Instagram
TRENDING:
  • Wisconsin lawmakers in the dark on broadband
  • The underfunded part of Wisconsin public schooling
  • If we don’t pay for roads, we don’t get mobility
  • Assembly Speaker calls for tolling to fund Wisconsin infrastructure
  • Foreseeing the Future of Wisconsin’s Flat Tax
  • Amid illiteracy, where was the urgency?
  • Calls to Police from MPS High Schools Up Dramatically Again
  • Wisconsin voters will be asked about welfare work requirements
  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Instagram
Badger InstituteBadger Institute
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
  • Issues
    • Taxes
    • Education
    • Crime & Justice
    • Spending & Accountability
    • Economy & Infrastructure
    • Licensing
    • Healthcare
    • Civil Society
  • Mandate for Madison
  • Research
  • Magazines
    • Diggings
    • Wisconsin Interest
  • Events
  • Media
    • Podcast
    • Fact Sheets
    • Viewpoints
    • Press Releases
    • Badger in the News
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Testimony
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • Visiting Fellows
    • America’s Future
    • Careers
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
DONATE
Badger InstituteBadger Institute
Home » Education » The Costs and Benefits of Smaller Classes in Wisconsin
Education

The Costs and Benefits of Smaller Classes in Wisconsin

By Thomas HruzSeptember 2, 2000
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

A further evaluation of the SAGE program

A growing centerpiece of current education reform, both nationally and within Wisconsin, is the movement toward smaller class sizes. The idea of reducing class size carries considerable appeal because it relies on presumably strong elements of common sense. It is believed, not unreasonably, that if a teacher has fewer students in a classroom, then each individual student will naturally receive more attention and individualized instruction, and will therefore learn better. Additional benefits are assumed from teachers being able to better maintain discipline, by improving teacher morale, and by increasing student participation — matters not directly related to student achievement, but which can have a derivative impact on the learning process.

Not unexpectedly, these perceived benefits have caused many educators, school administrators, policymakers, and much of the general public to applaud the concept of smaller classes. To a notable extent, members of both the major political parties are endorsing policy changes to this effect, although Democrats are generally the louder proponents. Smaller is better as far as classroom settings and instruction go, and since students deserve the best education, they deserve classes with fewer classmates competing for their teachers’ attention.

Or so the story goes.

Unfortunately, when a public policy idea tends to become incredibly popular, many important details and relevant issues concerning that policy tend to get suppressed or, at a minimum, are obscured. This is the experience with class size reduction efforts in Wisconsin.

The contention set forth in this report is not that smaller classes do not help make teaching easier, nor that small- er classes do not have some degree of academic benefit, for some students, and in some educational contexts. The critique largely comes against the wholesale treatment of smaller class sizes as a simple, clear-cut reform measure that is unassailable. In Wisconsin, an unfortunate result of this uncritical support for smaller classes is that the state’s class size reduction program — SAGE — is being expanded in ways that may prove to have little or no effect on improved student performance.

What can be drawn from the national research and the results of Wisconsin’s own SAGE program is that small- er classes do not always provide identifiable achievement benefits, and when they do raise student achievement, the greatest results tend to occur only in certain grades and for particular populations of students. In addition, achieving these results necessitates an immense and continual cost to taxpayers.

Vol13no6Download
Reports
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Telegram Email
Thomas Hruz

Related Posts

The underfunded part of Wisconsin public schooling

March 16, 2023

Amid illiteracy, where was the urgency?

February 23, 2023

Family finds education freedom a “godsend”

February 16, 2023
Categories
Top Posts

Local pols filling old budget holes with massive COVID aid

December 8, 20221,447

This is not four years ago

November 10, 20221,283

A state without convictions

January 12, 2023643

Billions in federal spending in Wisconsin unaudited; results never measured

November 9, 2022484
Archives

Sign Up for Top Picks

Our weekly e-Newsletter with the latest items and updates

Connect with Badger Institute
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
About Us
About Us

The Badger Institute is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institute established in 1987 working to engage and energize Wisconsinites and others in discussions and timely action on key public policy issues critical to the state’s future, growth and prosperity.

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Sign Up for Top Picks

Our weekly e-Newsletter with the latest items and updates

What’s New

Wisconsin lawmakers in the dark on broadband

March 16, 2023

The underfunded part of Wisconsin public schooling

March 16, 2023

If we don’t pay for roads, we don’t get mobility

March 9, 2023

Assembly Speaker calls for tolling to fund Wisconsin infrastructure

March 2, 2023
© 2023 Badger Institute | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience.

Privacy settings

Privacy Settings

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit.

NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.

CRM Software

Customer Relationship Management Software

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

Powered by Cookie Information