The Costs and Benefits of Smaller Classes in Wisconsin A Further Evaluation of the SAGE Program /

The Costs and Benefits of Smaller Classes in Wisconsin [electronic resource] : A Further Evaluation of the SAGE Program / Thomas Hruz.

Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program demonstrates that small class sizes have unclear achievement benefits and that improvements remain isolated in small populations. SAGE grants $2,000 per low income student to elementary schools agreeing to class sizes of 15 s...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Hruz, Thomas
Corporate Author: Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [Place of publication not identified] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 2000.
Subjects:
Academic Achievement.
Achievement Gains.
Class Size.
Educational Finance.
Educational Policy.
Effective Schools Research.
Elementary Education.
Public Policy.
School Support.
Small Classes.
Teacher Student Ratio.
Description
Summary:Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program demonstrates that small class sizes have unclear achievement benefits and that improvements remain isolated in small populations. SAGE grants $2,000 per low income student to elementary schools agreeing to class sizes of 15 students, extended hours, a rigorous curriculum, and professional development programs. SAGE is likely to expand, despite evidence of ineffectiveness, in part because of immense political support. SAGE supporters claim reducing class size will increase teacher focus and student participation, reduce classroom problems, improve morale, and spur innovative practices. These claims are advanced despite counter evidence of weaknesses in internal review processes and issues with evaluation by outside reviewers. Research reveals limitations in SAGE effectiveness, including a minimal impact on achievement in second and third grade, particularly among African Americans, no measurable impact among non-African American students, and meager average gains. Funding increases required by current plans to expand SAGE are unwarranted given likely marginal achievement gains. (Contains 90 citations.) (TEJ)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED448496.
Availability: Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, P.O. Box 487, Thiensville, WI 53092. Tel: 262-241-0514. For full text: http://www.wpri.org.
Physical Description:50 pages.
Preferred Citation of Described Materials Note:Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Report, v13 n6 Sep 1999.

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