As the Texas Senate Education Committee meets this morning to hear testimony in a public hearing on "unfunded mandates," thousands of teachers and parents are adding their voices to a call to "Keep the 22:1 Class-Size Law" amidst an attack on the law and other public education quality standards.
"Crowded classes mean limited learning, and that's something every teacher and parent understands intuitively," said Linda Bridges, Texas AFT President. "Lawmakers aren't fooling anyone by pretending that class size doesn’t matter. It does, and it's one of the most important education reforms passed in decades and has stood the test of time, study and plain old common sense."
The Texas state law enacted in 1984 establishes a class-size limit of 22 students to one teacher in public school grades K-4. However, the law includes a waiver provision that allows districts to exceed the limit when faced with financial hardship, shortages of facilities or teachers, unanticipated enrollment increases, or high levels of student mobility. The Texas Education Agency makes it easy to obtain waivers and has only denied five and granted more than 3,500.
Read more about the 22:1 class size and its effect on student learning here.
"If you already have thousands of waivers given out so that districts aren't hamstrung with added costs for a small number of kids over the cap, then why on earth do we need to permanently get rid of the law?" Bridges asked. "The class-size cap is a safeguard, one that gives parents notification that the cap has been exceeded. Would you want to show up to your child's second-grade class and find 28 kids and a teacher who is struggling to give them the attention and help they deserve?"
Bridges said thousands of teachers, parents and concerned citizens have signed a petition at www.22to1.org to keep the law. Additionally, some 1,500 took the extra step of submitting comments—many of them detailed and impassioned—on why the law is crucial to their children's success. Bridges added that several other public education quality standards are also at risk, including teacher contract rights which provide a minimal level of due process to prevent cronyism, discrimination or arbitrary dismissals. Also under review are state salary standards, the loss of which could lead to districts essentially nullifying state pay raises for teachers. "The issue of 'mandate relief' is simply a diversion and distraction from the real problem. In the 2011 session, the goal should indeed be to ease the financial squeeze on school districts--not by undercutting valuable reforms but taking a balanced approach to balancing the state budget and properly funding our schools," Bridges said.
Background
A Texas state law enacted in 1984 established a class-size limit of 22 students to one teacher in public school grades K-4. Decades of scholarly research conclusively show that student learning and academic achievement improve with smaller class sizes. (Summation of research at Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Web site at http://www.tepsa.org /displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=331 and the American Federation of Teachers Web site: http://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/classsize/research.cfm Gains in learning are more significant for children who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs, which is more important today than ever. Economically disadvantaged students accounted for nearly all—some 97%—of the rapid increase in overall enrollment in Texas public schools over the last ten-year period, and the number of students identified as Limited English Proficient grew by 50% (Source, Texas Education Agency, November 2009), and these students need more individualized attention and the benefits of smaller class sizes; and Using an "average class size" cap—which has been proposed by some lawmakers --instead of limiting the size of each class is not effective, because averaging means most students can be in classes of excessive size when districts factor in small specialized classes.
The class-size law includes a waiver provision that allows districts to exceed the limit when faced with financial hardship, shortages of facilities or teachers, unanticipated enrollment increases, or high levels of student mobility, and the Texas Education Agency makes it easy to obtain waivers and has only denied five and granted more than 3,500. The waivers—although easy to obtain—provide some accountability because parental notification is required, and in some cases school board approval also is required. Exceeding the class-size limit ultimately can cost districts more money and resources, as specialists must be provided to help struggling students who are under pressure to meet accountability standards.
Thousands have commented on www.22to1.org with stories of law's importance.
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