Watch this 2-minute clip, in which New York City parents and activists explain why class size in the public schools is far too large and how this hurts children and reduces educational opportunity.
After a legal challenge, a judge ten years ago ordered the city to submit a plan for smaller classes.
The city promised that by 2012, classes in kindergarten through third grade would be capped at 20 children. The limit was to be 23 students in middle school, and 25 in high school.
“Instead, class sizes have gone up substantially since then,” said Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters.
For example, in 2007, one thousand kids in first through third grades were in classes of 30 students or more.
This past school year, more than 43,000 students in the early grades were in classes that large.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Despite the previous judge’s ruling, the city did not, in fact, honor the class size limits. What makes the parents think that NYC would honor any new court ruling if the parents win?
Call me cynical, but without some kind of sanctions on the city for ignoring a court ruling, it’s just going to ignore any future judgments, as well.
The ruling must include long prison sentences for any public officials that ignore the ruling. By long, I mean 20 years without a parole, and no country club prisons. They end up in a prison where people living in poverty end up when they are sent to prison.
Indeed, Lloyd. Otherwise, why would they bother to obey the courts?
I taught ESL in a suburban NYC school district. When international TESOL held its conference in New York, I was a tour guide for out of area teachers making school visitations. I was the host for the visits that were mostly in NYC. I can remember visiting city schools with 35, 36 or even 37 students in an ESL class; yet my district managed to cap our ESL classes at 20 or less. I also recall the lack of materials available to the city teachers compared to the well stocked classrooms in my district. Class size does make a big difference, especially with very needy students.
Some of the teachers at our school left the NYC system to teach in the suburbs. A common reason for the move was the overwhelming frustration of trying to meet so many needs in large classes. Every former NYC teacher I spoke to mentioned that they could not do their best work with so many needy young people in the same class.
With classes at 34, many New York City high school teachers will have as many as 170 students. How much individual attention to those kids get? How much time can a teacher spend on grading essays or research papers?
Oh that’s right, we are just teaching them to fill in bubbles on multiple choice tests.
What I wouldn’t give for class sizes like that. But, I’m in Utah, where we, “stack ’em deep and teach ’em cheap.” I’ve heard that phrase since I was in elementary school here.
Reblogged this on Mister Journalism: "Reading, Sharing, Discussing, Learning" and commented:
Why must it come to this for parents seeking equity and equality for their children’s public school experience?
There are too many unfounded mandates in the system. Suspension rooms (SAVE rooms). So there alone is a teachers salary gone. The special education meetings/written components are another example. The Federal govt. has too big a role in schools that have not been funded, so the increase of money is being spent elsewhere, not on class-size
Should be un-funded
In Leonie’s surveys, parents always rank class size first on their list of concerns about schools. I don’t believe it. If parents really cared that much about class size, Mayors wouldn’t dare campaign on such blatant lies as “As Mayor, I will make class size a top priority.”