Skip to main content

The Class Size Debate Is WRONG

There’s a huge controversy boiling across The teaching and education landscape right now.

Some people are saying Betsy DeVos has rekindled the flame of "Larger Class Sizes and Fewer Teachers."
Others are saying That it flies in the face of common sense. Smaller classes and more teachers is the way to go.

But you know what?  This is not a new debate!  

"While DeVos is under siege for her comment, she’s not the first secretary of education to suggest schools might be wiser to invest in stronger teachers rather than smaller classes. Arne Duncan, secretary of education for most of Obama’s tenure, argued, “We spent billions of dollars to reduce class size when we could instead give teachers higher salaries in exchange for larger classrooms, thereby attracting much more talented teachers.” 

https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/betsy-devos-reignites-debate-whether-class-size-matters/VDHjWAD0HvkusJ666SJNxM/

They’re all wrong. Every. Single. Person.
That’s because We have allowed our partisan views detract from the success of our children.  If this is a bad idea now, it was a bad idea then.  When will we stop allowing politicians to dictate  foundational classroom and instructional strategies?

That’s what I think. Tell me, what do YOU think? Let me know your opinion right now by commenting below. Please focus on the long standing issue of class size and NOT the people involved.


Check Out The Channel Here!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New year = New Beginnings

Yesterday I spent about 5 hours on my home campus working with new teachers.  It was an amazing day.  I love the energy at the beginning of the year.  Enthusiasm is high and it feels like I can do anything I put my mind to.  the awesome thing is that it is not just my enthusiasm.  It is almost 100% across all faculty and staff.  We are renewing work relationships and friendships, planning for classes and for the entire year, and the anticipation of the first day with students is firmly planted and growing. This is it.  It is GO time.  It is time to script the first day, readjust sleep schedules, and organize the classroom.  If you follow me on Google+   checkout the videos I will be highlighting over the next week or so.  They are specific to this time of year.  and may help you save some time and make some things a little easier for you. My anxiety level is high.  This year I plan on including you in my journey through anxiety and the menatlups ad downs that I usually try to mask
Post a Comment
Read more

New Summer Challenges and Reflection

I have got to start doing more than one pos a year.  the last post I made was towards the end of summer school last years.  Well summer school just ended for me this year.  It has been a very strange year for all of us.  the district I work for offered free online summer school this year.  We used the online software package that had been adapted from our Credit Recovery program to fill the last grading period when all the schools closed for Covid-19.  Ideally a student would simply work their way through the first half of the online curriculum in the three weeks of summer school and the score would reflect their mastery of first semester skills.  I held two Zoom meetings a day to supplement instruction and offer specific tutoring. This was not exactly how it worked out. Makeup Credit English for freshmen is an interesting and challenging experience  face to face.  These are not the students who are self driven learners.  They are all coming to your class having met a major defeat in
Post a Comment
Read more

Dress Professionally

Hello again.   Be sure and  Check out the current videos. Things That Work I find it interesting how much our behavior as teachers can, at times, mimic that of the students we teach.  Unfortunately, this phenomenon tends to favor attributes that are less than endearing. For instance, here is an excerpt from a video script focusing on tips for the first day of school that I am working on. Dress as professionally as you can. Students will only take you as seriously as you take yourself.  I do not get to go with the tie and coat until day 2 because our campus is required to all wear the same red polo staff shirt and black slacks or skirt.  It looks good, and that is all students have to go on is how it looks.  Day 2 I am dressed to the 9s.  I stay in a tie for most of the first grading period. I have presented this to other teachers in private conversation and in group settings. Invariably I am met with rolled eyes from some and many excuses why this does not work and c
Post a Comment
Read more