The issue of class size is a focus of recent policy initiatives. At the national level, President Clinton's State of the Union Address and the proposed FY '99 budget both call for reduced class size in America's public schools. In his 1998 State of the State address Governor Carper also proposed a reduction in class size in the core academic areas - capping class size at 22 students in elementary and 28 at the middle and high school levels. However, classes had to be reduced to at least 15 students to have any consequential impact on achievement as measured through standardized tests. When these were eliminated, the reduction of classes to 15 or 20 would have shown little or no impact on student achievement.
Effects seem to decrease as grade levels increase.
Studies rather consistently find that economically disadvantaged and some ethnic minority students perform better academically in smaller classes. Peer tutoring was found to be 4 times as effective in improving math achievement as reducing class size. In 1996, iv a review of economic impact studies revealed that quality teacher education had greater impact on student achievement than lowering class size, increasing teacher salaries, or increased teachers years of experience. Non-Achievement Issues Research based on classroom observations v has shown that reduction in class size permits but does not necessarily cause a change in teachers instructional practice. A major review conducted in 1980 found that teachers in smaller classes reported higher levels of satisfaction, morale, and lower stress levels.