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1. Class Size

My initial thought: Decreasing Class Size from 25 to 15 could significantly improve student achievement.

The bold, loud claim I hear:  “Decreasing class sizes is a key to student success!”

What the research says:  Of the 138 factors of the meta-analyses done, this was ranked as number 106, and had a impact factor of 0.21, well below the hinge point of showing notable change.  This is based on studies of more than 40000 classes, and nearly 950000 students worldwide. Perhaps not surprisingly, “quality teaching” has nearly double the impact on student achievement than this factor.

My new thought:  Not the high-yield strategy that I believed.

6.  Formative Evaluation of programs

My initial thought:  Extremely important for teachers to adapt and change their methodologies in response to student learning. Using student data to guide instruction and reflection through collaboration with their peers is something that we have been focussing on in our school through our change in structures.

Loud, bold claim I hear:  “I know what works in my class!”

What the research says:  This ranks as #3 of 138, with an effect of 0.9 over nearly 4000 students and 38 studies.  Teachers being purposeful to innovations in that they are looking to see “what works” and “why it works” as well as looking for reasons why students do not do well lead to improvement in instruction and student achievement.

My new thought:  This is the high-yield strategy that can really make a difference at our school, and through the Professional Learning Community Model of providing time for teachers to collaborate and reflect on teaching practices, we have seen a marked increase in the success of our students.