A growing body of research supports the importance of small classes in K-12 education. A 2011 study by the Brookings Institution found that students in small classes outperformed those in larger classes (22 students or more) by a rate equivalent to three months of additional schooling every four years. This means that students who begin kindergarten in small classes are nearly one year ahead of their peers in larger classes by eighth grade.

 

I imagine by now you have seen all the negative political ads you care to see. According to presidential campaign finance trackers, the Democratic and Republican candidates will likely spend more than $1 billion each on their campaigns, much of it on negative ads aimed at each other. Unfortunately, research shows that negative political ads increase voter cynicism, contribute to declining voter trust in elections, decrease participation in politics, and contribute to increased societal incivility.

 

The teaching profession appears headed for a crisis. According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the number of bachelor’s of education degrees awarded fell from 176,000 in 1971 to only 90,000 in 2021, a 49 percent decrease in 50 years. Of the approximately four million K-12 teachers in the US, about 8 percent (320,000) leave the profession annually. A quick subtraction equation yields a stark reality: each year far more teachers leave the profession than enter it.