Argument Essay Rough Draft

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Emily Bisker Mrs. Cramer Comp. Pd. 2 29 November 2018 Does class size effect student achievement? Have you ever wondered why you or your child isn’t doing well in school? The size of the classroom might be a big factor. The number of students in a classroom can greatly affect students' grades and academics. Smaller classes are better for both students and teachers. Quantity is a big factor in student achievement, having smaller classes makes for less distraction, and more one on one work with the teachers. First off, having smaller classes is better for student achievement because there will be less distraction in the class room. According to the Quarterly Journal of Economics, as the number of students in a class room increases in quantity, the average grade scores go down ten percent. Not only is this unbeneficial for the student’s grades, it makes the teachers and school district look bad as well. In the Southern Economic Journal, it states that, “The causal effect of class size on student performance is investigated using a maximum class size rule of 30 students to generate an instrument for actual class size.” To many thirty students in a classroom seems like too much already, and it is reflecting in the student’s grades. The Southern Economic Journal has explained the patterns using the quantity of thirty students for experiments. The experiment shows that thirty is the maximum number of students in a classroom that the teacher and students can handle, without multiple students failing. Students can be quite loud and distracting to each other, causing them to not pay attention. Therefore, having smaller classes is

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more beneficial for all the students. Having more students in a classroom causes too many distractions, causing students not to focus or learn. To further inform, having smaller classes allows for students and teachers to have more one on one time with each other. If a student is having difficulty with a problem or subject the teacher has more time to dedicate to that student. Even if every student in the class needed specific help, it would be easier on the teacher because with less students he or she would be able to help them all during class because there aren’t as many students. Quarterly Review of Distance Education says that even online classes should have a limit as to the number of students allowed to take the course. As it would be easier to have many students enrolled in an online course, it doesn’t allow the teacher to provide help with every student as he or she would be able to do in a smaller class setting. With less students in the classroom, it would be much easier for the teacher and students to give and receive help. Conversely, with smaller classes, however, students don’t have as many options to refer to outside of class. As it is nice to have other peers to work with outside of class, there is more one on one time with the teacher during class to begin with so that should eliminate the need of help after class. As a student, I often reach out to my peers that share the same classes as me if I need help with things, and they always gladly provide their serviced because they know that one day, they may need my help. As nice as it is to receive help from peers, it doesn’t teach the students anything, they are copying and not learning anything. To branch off, having friends in your classes should not be a big deal, but having close friends to work with makes it easier on the students. It is easier to work with someone you know, than a random stranger. This is a chance to make new friends and become very close with them because in the small class size there is a good chance you will be working with that person more

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than once. Having friends in your classes always makes school easier, and more enjoyable, but they can often distract you from your work. Having small classes with little distractions is the way to go, and students will most likely get more work done. Being in a class room with your friends is all fun and games, but your grades are way more important than, and having small classes will be very beneficial towards that. In conclusion, smaller classes are so much better for student achievement because it causes less distraction and allows for more one on one work with the teachers. Having smaller classes, with less peers, allows students to focus more on the teacher and the lesson than what is going on around them. Smaller classes are also better because it allows to teacher to go around and individually help each student as needed. If you have ever wondered why you or your child wasn’t performing well in school, this may explain why.

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Works cited ACHILLES, CHARLES M. "Class Size and Student Learning." Encyclopedia of Education, edited by James W. Guthrie, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003, pp. 314-317. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3403200116/GVRL?u=pl1949&sid=GVRL &xid=838c0c3a. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Bonesronning, Hans. "Class size effects on student achievement in Norway: patterns and explanations." Southern Economic Journal, vol. 69, no. 4, 2003, p. 952+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A100401512/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE& xid=c6d58861. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

HOXBY, CAROLINE M. "THE EFFECTS OF CLASS SIZE ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: NEW EVIDENCE FROM POPULATION VARIATION [*]." Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 115, no. 4, 2000, p. 1239. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A68653517/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xi d=13919d04. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Supiano, Beckie. "Are Small Classes Best? It's Complicated." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 30 Mar. 2018, p. A20. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536092670/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE& xid=f9777e81. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Taft, Susan H., et al. "A framework for evaluating class size in online education." Quarterly Review of Distance Education, vol. 12, no. 3, 2011, p. 181+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A284222173/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE& xid=a6cd21ab. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

West, Martin R., and Ludger Woessmann. "Crowd control: an international look at the relationship between class size and student achievement. (Research)." Education Next, vol. 3, no. 3, 2003, p. 56+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A104835536/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE& xid=ea38bf26. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.