Christopher Jepsen and Steven Rivkin, Public Policy Institute of California
2002
A new report from the Public Policy Institute of California draws attention to a major unintended consequence of California's Class Size Reduction initiative (CSR), begun in 1996 and targeted at kindergarten and grades 1-3. The initiative created many new teaching positions in a state that was already struggling to fill its openings. Veteran teachers from schools in high-poverty areas left to take positions in suburban schools, and some teachers in grades 4 and up moved to grades K-3. Math and reading scores did improve for students who had the benefit of both a small class and a veteran teacher. Those gains were offset, however, by declines resulting from the influx of inexperienced teachers to cover otherwise teacherless classrooms-an effect felt most strongly in poor and minority schools and also in the middle grades. Thus, the initiative had no appreciable effect on overall statewide average test scores even as it widened the gap between test scores for the rich and poor. The authors speculate that many of the newly hired teachers were not only less experienced but also less able than veteran teachers. If true, this could mean that the negative side effects of Class Size Reduction will persist even after the new teachers gain experience. The 100-page report-which includes copious tables and figures-concludes with policy recommendations. Most significantly, the authors caution against rapid, large-scale reductions in class size and suggest that future class reduction efforts should begin with low-income schools. The report can be viewed at http://www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC161/ppic161fulltext.pdf. - Rob Lucas
