CA: Statewide Ad Blitz Warns of Soaring Class Sizes, Toll on Students

BURLINGAME – Taking to the airwaves to sound the alarm about stopping cuts to public education, the California Teachers Association today launched radio ads statewide underscoring the toll on students from cuts.

The radio ads reflect the dire concerns witnessed by educators reeling from $17 billion in California education cuts over the last two years, the largest cuts since the Great Depression. Instead of investing in education, the governor is proposing new education cuts of $2.5 billion. The state ranks 46th in education spending, while a new UCLA study shows state cuts led to increased class sizes in 74 percent of elementary schools, and that 70 percent of all schools surveyed reduced or eliminated summer school.

“The cuts to my school are devastating,” one teacher says in the ad. “Just the increase in class size. I have 20 students and all of a sudden it's 33.”

Another educator warns of the consequences from soaring class sizes. “There's a lot of competition to get into college and with a lot of competition for attention from the teacher, some kids aren't going to make it because they're not getting what they need individually from the teacher.”

“We've brought you this message because investing in our public schools and colleges is essential to building a stronger California for all of us,” David A. Sanchez, president of the 325,000-member CTA, says in the ad. “On March 4th, join students, educators and parents for a 'Day of Action' to stop these education cuts.”

Sanchez urges the public to go to the CTA social networking website -- StandUpFor Schools.org -- to learn more about the crisis. The website reveals the groundswell of March 4 protest events against school cuts in cities across the state as educators join working families and other unions taking a stand against state cuts to schools, health care for children, and to vital social services for the poor and elderly.

The 60-second ads are airing through March 4 on 84 radio stations, including Spanish-, Asian- and Native American-language stations. Listen to the ads at cta.org or StandUpFor Schools.org.

There is no evidence that more kids in class makes the learn less.

A lot of anecdotal evidence, and arguments that don’t stand up to scrutiny.

A few examples:

More kids means they will take too much time asking questions. Except that for a vast majority of classes, the number of unique questions about a subject will be low, so there’s no reason to expect that multiple kids will have to ask the same question. So if you had a class of 40 kids, vs 2 classes of 20 kids, the question would be asked TWICE in the 2nd school, and only ONCE in the first school, which actually saves teacher time.

Also, we know teachers have different capabilities. The more teachers you need, the less capable the worst of them will be (like when baseball expanded and they needed more pitchers and so more teams had bad pitchers). If you make class sizes bigger, you increase the likelyhood of a student being taught by a better teacher. Double the class sizes, get rid of the bottom 50% of the teachers, and EVERY kid gets taught by a teacher in the top half of their profession.

Problem: Teachers who drive school boards have managed to get most schools built with classrooms too small for larger, more efficient class sizes. In schools in my district, you would be hard-pressed to add more than a few kids to a lot of the classrooms.

The fix: Use the high-tech computerized and wired schools, to broadcast the best teachers to multiple classes around the county. Now you can teach every student with the top 20% of the teachers. Every class GETS a teacher still, the ones that are in the bottom half get paid less, but don’t have to prepare lesson plans, just answer questions, grade papers, and babysit.

Larger class sizes would also prepare kids better for college, where they will be taught in lecture halls and have to schedule appointments to ask questions of teachers.

With the right technology, they could even offer stay-at-home schooling, for kids with good internet. IF the kids can do the homework and pass the tests, let them do it from home. Saves bus costs, lowers “class sizes” for those showing up.

My school district offers all sorts of summer school classes online — even Gym classes (kids have to do formal activities like team sports and stuff). My daughter did a science summer course last year, and interacted with the teacher through e-mail. Tests were online, except midterm and final were at a school.

There are so many innovations we could use in public schools, if we got over the idea that the public schools exist to provide guaranteed employment for the teacher’s unions.

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