Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School

The purpose of this investigation was to address three questions about the long-term effects of early school experiences: (a) Is participation in small classes in the early grades (K–3) related to the likelihood that a student will graduate from high school? (b) Is academic achievement in the early grades related to high school graduation? (c) If class size in K–3 is related to high school graduation, is the relationship attributable to the effect of small classes on students’ academic achievement and the subsequent effect of achievement on graduation? This study is unique in several ways. Although the relationship of class size with achievement and behavior has been documented elsewhere, no formal examination of early class sizes and graduating or dropping out 6 to 9 years later has been published previously. Also, the study was based on an extraordinary database—a large sample of students followed for 13 years, 1 with norm-referenced and criterion-referenced achievement tests administered annually and graduation/dropout information collected from official school and state records.

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