Class Size Reduction Project - First Year and Final Report

Abstract

These reports present the first year evaluation and final assessment of the Elementary School Class Size Reduction Pilot Project at four participating elementary schools: one in the Juneau School District and three in the Kenai Peninsula School District. The project was designed to assess the effectiveness of reduced class size combined with other teaching interventions on student achievement and attitude, school discipline, and parental involvement in education. Participating schools explored strategies to reduce class size and improve education without significantly adding to the cost of education. They include descriptions of participating schools' progress toward achieving their goals and comparative data on students' academic achievement from Fall 1993 to Spring 1996. The final report also answers a series of research questions pertaining to the effectiveness of the Elementary School Class Size Reduction Pilot Project and includes a summary of the cost per classroom for reducing the pupil teacher ratio and implementing the instructional changes.