IJEPL Article alert: Small classes in the early grades and course taking in high school

[Dan Laitsch <dlaitsch@sfu.ca>]

The International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership (IJEPL)
is pleased to announce the publication of our first issue article, 
Volume 1, Number 1: 
Small classes in the early grades and course taking in high school.

The full text of the article is freely available On-line, at http://www.ijepl.org

ABSTRACT:
Small Classes in the Early Grades and Course Taking in High School

Jeremy D. Finn,  Jeffery D. Fox,  and Michelle Mcclellan
State University Of New York At Buffalo

Charles M. Achilles
Eastern Michigan University

Jayne Boyd-Zaharias
Heros,  Inc.

Researchers examined the relationship between small-class participation 
in the first four years of school and course-taking patterns in high school. 
Using original data from Tennessee's Project STAR (Student-Teacher 
Achievement Ratio) with high school transcripts for 3,922 students from 
the STAR experiment, the hypothesis that class size is related to the 
amount and level of coursework taken in mathematics, science, and 
foreign language was tested. Results indicated that students who spent 
three or more years in small classes took more foreign language courses, 
higher-level foreign language courses, and higher-level mathematics 
courses than did students in full-size classes. The possibility that small-
class participation would benefit low-SES students more than high-SES 
students was also explored, but no evidence was found of an SES-specific 
effect. The results are discussed in terms of (a) using class-size policies to 
promote the taking of advanced courses in high school, and (b) the need 
to consider long-term outcomes when evaluating class-size reduction 
initiatives.

+++++++++++++++++++++
Penelope M. Earley, Co-Editor
ijepl@gmu.edu

Dan Laitsch, Co-Editor
dlaitsch@sfu.ca

Dan Fuller, ASCD liaison
dfuller@ascd.org

IJEPL is a joint publication of:
The College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University,
The Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

IJEPL is an open access refereed electronic journal dedicated to enriching
the education policy and leadership knowledge base and promoting 
exploration and analysis of policy alternatives. 

For more information about IJEPL, please visit the Journal's Web site:
http://www.ijepl.org