Vicki Rafel, Vice President for Legislation, represented National PTA at the Nov. 9 press conference announcing the Department of Education report findings, which were released yesterday. With record-high enrollments now and in the projected future, the class size reduction initiative may be one of the most significant school reform measures of the decade, said Rafel. An increasing number of studies prove what parents have known instinctively for years, continued Rafel.
Children benefit academically from smaller classes.
Equally important is that teachers and parents also benefit. National PTA supports the federal funding specifically targeted to reduce class size. Congress approved this program last year with a strong bipartisan majority. The class size reduction program provides 100 percent flexibility to local school districts, which control 100 percent of the funds. National PTA, founded in 1897, is the largest volunteer child advocacy group in the United States.