“Is there any parent who, all else being equal, wouldn’t want his or her youngster in a class of 17 or 18 versus a class of 23 or 24?”
So asks the editorial board of the Dallas Morning News in opposing a proposal to remove K-4 class size caps.  Although there is a bit too much emphasis on the test score angle, the wrap-up returns to the broader frame of individualization, teacher testimony, and plain old ethics.

The Jacksonville Observer reports that a Florida senate committee approved with only one vote against a bill for vote that would put on the ballot a change to the class size amendment. According to the AP it would “keep counts at the school-wide average and permit the addition of a few extra seats where necessary” by removing the next step stipulated for the 2010-11 school year, which mandates absolute class-by-class caps.

All in all, this is not a bad compromise, no? Much worse could have happened.

Georgia, Oklahoma and Nevada are following California and Florida in proposals to undo or temporarily suspend K-3 class size limits. The Wall Street Journal offered this graphic of kindergarten limits by state:

source

Themselves understaffed, Detroit principals understaff classrooms even further in spite of the rules.

Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb has ordered a full audit of the district’s 5,200 teachers and how they spend their time to ensure that all are teaching students.

Teachers are supposed to teach five classes periods, but often, for whatever reason, “the principal decides he needs help,” said Falcuson.

The years-long practice violates district policy, and became worse after Bobb cut administrators to reduce the deficit. Union officials fear that it is now so widespread that it may be impossible to end.

“There would be no way of knowing (where teachers are),” Falcuson said. “It’s under the table. On paper, oftentimes, administrators have them (teachers) down as teaching five classes when they’re not.”

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Budget shortfall extraordinaire in canyon country:

Class sizes for grades kindergarten through sixth will increase from 24 to 36 students, including the merging of first and second grades. Classes at the secondary level (grades seven through 12) will have up to 45 students, district officials said.

Source

California Watch, an investigative journalism group, recently studied class size in the 30 largest districts in California to see what was happening with the voluntary 20-student cap in K-3. This map lets you see exactly who’s opting in and who’s opting out.

Here’s a good recent piece on class size as it impacts African-American students. What’s brought out in the article is also that Californians pay for the (now crumbling) K-3 reductions to 20 with the largest middle and high school classes in the country.

John Rogers, director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA), said … it’s important to note that California already has the largest class sizes in the country in middle and high schools, particularly in the subject areas of English, social studies and science.

According to the Tampa Tribune, a bill to weaken the voter-approved amendment limiting class size in every grade has been introduced in the state senate.

Paradoxically, the economic downturn has both raised the profile of the class size issue nationwide and endangered one of the last decade’s boldest measures to reduce class size.

Apparently Wales has an elementary class size limit of 30 and it’s being violated and fudged with by leaps and bounds this year.

Across Wales, 3,119 children aged five to seven are taught in classes with more than 30 pupils – the Welsh Assembly Government’s statutory limit – compared with 2,013 last year.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/11/30/classroom-overcrowding-up-by-a-third-since-2008-91466-25284139/

Some K-3 teachers in this California district are even saying they’re receiving materials in sets of 32 for the coming year!

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_13112563?nclick_check=1