A teacher in the West Contra school district in Richmond, Calif., expresses her disappointment in a letter to the editor of the Contra Costa Times that because of budget cuts, class sizes will grow in her school district. She says that kindergarten will have 24 students, and 3rd grade will have 28 students.
She makes the case that students in grades K-3, particularly ELLs, need small-group instruction. In a district where about a third of students are ELLs, she says, it’s “shameful” that the school board would increase class size.
What do you think? Is there a strong connection between class size and teaching effectiveness when it comes to teaching ELLs?