Project STAR Fact Sheet

TENNESSEE'S K-3 CLASS SIZE STUDY Robert Slavin, John Hopkins University, an AERA reactor, praised Project STAR's design and integrity and called it a "watershed event" in research.

Jeremy Finn, State University of New York, an external consultant to the project, reported, "This research leaves no doubt that small classes have an advantage over larger classes in reading and math in the early primary grades.

"The Small Classes Made The Highest Scores On The Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) and Basic Skills First (BSF) Test In All Four Years (K - 3) and In All Locations (Rural, Suburban, Urban, Inner-City).

The Greatest Gains on the SAT were made in Inner-City Small classes.

The Highest Scores on the SAT and BSF were made in Rural Small classes.

The Classes that scored in the top 10% on the SAT Total Reading are identified as follows:

18 of the top 33 classes were small in Kindergarten.
22 of the top 34 classes were small in First Grade.
23 of the top 34 classes were small in Second Grade.
25 of the top 32 classes were small in Third Grade.

The only consistent positive Regular/Aide class effect occurred in first grade.

Inner-City (Predominantly Minority) students in small classes always outscored inner-city students in regular and regular/aide classes. This suggests that small classes are very beneficial to minority students.

In every grade, every location, and every class type Non-Free Lunch students outperformed Free Lunch students.

Non-Free Lunch Minorities in suburban small classes performed as well as Non-Free Lunch Whites.

Teachers reported that they prefer small classes in order to identify student needs and to provide more individual attention, as well as to cover more material effectively.

The effective teacher research revealed certain teaching practices and characteristics that produce more effective learning:

Creative Writing, Hands on Experiences, Learning Centers, Use of Manipulatives
Good Listener, Immediate Feedback, Monitoring, Preplanned Instruction, Well Organized
Assertive Discipline, High Expectations, Peer Tutoring, Reteaching
Effective Communication with Parents, Love of Children
Enthusiasm, Flexibility, Patience, Sense of Humor

Communication with parents will be more effective when teachers are trained in the following skills:

Ability to establish effective communication with the home.
Ability to involve the family in the education of their children.
Ability to teach parents how to teach their children.
Ability to make home visits.

In Order For Class Size Reduction To Be Most Cost Effective, Teachers Must Possess These Characteristics
And Be Trained In These Practices.