Reader comments
Senator wants class reduction mandatory

An immediate removal or all illegal alien students from the class rooms would be a great start with the least amount of legal or cost involved methods. The illegals are the casue of school overcroweding and quality of education in Utah. It's time for Utah to get out of the illegal alien support business. This state needs to change its image as a safe haven for illegals where they are being given aid and support while they practice their lives of crime and criminal activity. All illegals and their families are criminals and should be treated as criminals, not given aid and harbor in our cities and towns. They have burdened the tax payers long enough and its time to slam the door in their faces and tell them they do not belong. As americans and tax payers we can and do demand that our government stand up and serve the citizens of america, not Mexico or any of the other foreign countries. Time to treat illegals as illegals and criminals and give them no quarters. America and its schools is for americans, not illegal mexicans, who even refuse to learn our language.

Interesting that class size is an issue on capitol hill, but measures outside of just giving the schools more money are rejected. Isn't this the type of thing that vouchers would have helped? We as a state need to wake up and realize there are problems with the status quo in public education and be willing to look and embrace alternatives that might be setting new precedents.

Studies show that class sizes need to get at least below 20, with most benefit seen at 15, in order to effect any change. Poring money into class size reduction that only brings the number down from 26 to 24 will accomplish nothing.

Getting Utah's schools down to 15 will cost billions of dollars in new teachers and new buildings.

Vouchers absolutely would have assisted in this effort.

There simply is not enough money to get every classroom down to the preferred 15 class size. Other methods of improving student acheivement should be looked at.

However, low income and minority students see a huge increase in acheivement if their K-3 grade classes are in the 15-17 range, and that boost remains at least through the 8th grade even after the students are returned to larger classrooms.

That's where the class size reduction money should be spent.

Vouchers as written and defeated, would have only helped 3000-12000 students STATEWIDE. Vouchers would have done nothing to help class size reduction.

Is this the same Sen. Stephenson (and friends) who would require that all "programs" and classrooms be available for open enrollment unless they are full to overflowing w/students?!? How does this make sense? If most classes in a school do not have nearly 40 students, then that school is available to other students to enroll under "open enrollment." But then why should schools do as Sen. Stephenson suggests and USE LOCAL $$ TO LOWER CLASS SIZE?!? SO they can be open for students from other schools and districts?

I plead for some reasonable consistency. . .unless, of course, the purpose is to intentionally provide inconsistent direction to public schools?

Also, Sen. Stephenson might consider including charter schools in his sights. One of the 2 reasons that parents like charter schools is--SMALLER CLASS sizes. Charter schools now need not build football facilities or gymnasiums (students are eligible at their resident schools), so they lower class sizes and those sizes are protected by their charters!

These inconsistent priorities give new meaning to "level playing fields."

This is a great idea. But I say go one step further. Perhaps limit the number of children from any one family to no more than four or five. You can have all the kids you want, just decide which you prefer to go to school.

Cameron - I commend you for being so well read. You are in touch with the research. Please, keep posting!

For more information:

Biddle, B.J & Berliner, D.C. (2002). Small class size and its effect. Educational Leadership. Feb. 2002, 13-23.

Please people of Utah - do not let the UEA try to convince you we can or must reduce class sizes in the upper grades. First - it is fiscally not possible at this time, secondly - the research does not support the idea that there is great student achievement with a smaller class size at the upper grades

The UEA is great at asking for money and encouraging legislative officials to give more, but throwing money at something does not always fix the problem.

I send my children to a charter school. There are several reasons for this, but I shall list two. 1. Minimal sports programs and 2. No dance club.

Our School does not pull my children out of class to worship the Basketball team and watch scantily clad young women dance before their male benefactors. Academic achievement is the focus. If they want to play basketball the County rec. dept. has a great program and there are several dance studios within minutes of my house.

FOCUS on what a school should be.