"My child is a student at Liberty Elementary.
He has problems with behavior at school and with other students.
Big class sizes concern me because my child has issues with learning,
because there are just too many kids in his class. I want the
public schools to have more funding to where our children can
have a better education, not just for my children but for every
child."
-- Jennifer Rubo, Marysville
We live in a state that cares about its public education
system. Time and again when citizens are asked to name their priorities
issues, education rises to the top.
Citizens see the value in high-quality schools in communities
across the state.
They want to ensure bright futures for our emerging leaders and
they understand that strong schools make for strong communities.
People acknowledge and understand that public education is a
sound investment for Washington. Yet, despite the commitment of
caring citizens across the state, education funding has been on
the decline for two decades -- and it's left our schools behind
in the areas that hurt students most, especially class size.
Washington's class sizes are among the largest in the nation,
ranking 46th.
We would need 12,778 more classroom teachers to match the
national pupil-to-teacher average.
Reducing class sizes in early grades improves learning in
all subject areas, especially for children living in poverty.
Reducing class sizes can improve classroom behavior and give
students more individualized attention. Needing less time for
discipline, teachers can spend more time on classroom instruction.
Studies show that small classes improve teacher-student interaction
and teacher morale, along with enriched learning experiences.
Students who are in small classes in the early elementary
grades are significantly more likely to graduate from high school.
All children deserve a good start when the stakes are the highest
-- in the early grades -- kindergarten through grade three. That
means providing manageable class sizes that allow for the individualized
attention and an optimal environment for teaching and learning.
Meet Saida ...
Sources:
NEA Rankings and Estimates Fall 2005. Original data reported
to NEA by state departments of education.
Finn, J.D., & Achilles, C.M. (1999). Tennessee's class
size study: Findings, implications, misconceptions. Educational
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 21(2), pp. 97-109.
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Goldstein, H. & Martin,
C. (2003). Are class size differences related to pupils' educational
progress and classroom processes? Findings from the Institute
of Education Class Size Study of children aged 5-7 years.
British Educational Research Journal, 29 (5), pp. 709-730.
Pate-Bain, Helen & Jacobs, Roseanne. (1990). The case
for smaller classes and better teachers. Streamlined Seminar.
National Association of Elementary School Principals, v. 9,
n. 1, pp 1-9.
Finn, J.D., Gerber, S.B. & Boyd-Zaharias, J. (2005).
Small classes in the early grades, academic achievement, and
graduating form high school. Journal of Educational Psychology,
97 (2), pp. 214-223.
Get involved.
Make a difference.
Videos
worth watching
How is Take
the Lead reaching out to parents and the community? Amy,
a Washington fourth-grader, takes us on a tour of state
activities intended to help focus public awareness on
the need to change the way public schools are funded in
Washington state. Learn about WEA's Take the Lead activities
in a 5-minute Flash
video or a Windows
Movie.
Vermont EA members looked
at their state's education funding and decided a major
change was necessary. So they launched a campaign that
literally changed the way Vermont's schools are funded,
and the amount of money spent on education.
See how Vermont turned around school funding in a 5-minute
Flash
video or a Windows
Movie.
It was a
tough campaign, but a week after Election Day, ballots
for 4204, WEA's Simple Majority campaign, finally edged
into the victory
column.
There's power
in sharing stories
Like Angela,
there are teachers and other school employees around our
state who can't afford to live where they teach and work.
Click
here to learn more about Angela and
how you can help.
Like Dimitri,
parents around the state who volunteer in schools are
learning that there are not enough resources to go around.
Click
here to learn more about Dimitri
and how you can help.
Like Tia and
Sophie, there are high school students around the state
who are frustrated by the lack of resources. Click
here to learn more about Tia and
Sophie and how you can help.
Like Aidan, second
graders all over Washington state are not getting opportunities
they deserve to study rocks and minerals and more. Click
here to learn more about Aidan and
how you can help.
