Washington, Oct 12 (IANS) Small classes in elementary school can give infants the best chance to succeed in later grades, a new study says.
The study by Spyros Konstantopoulos, associate professor of education, Michigan State University (MSU), is the first to examine the effects of class size over a sustained period and for all levels of students from low to high achievers.

Konstantopoulos, member of a committee for the US Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, said the best plan of attack is to provide small classes (13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first grade.

“For a long time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the benefits,” Konstantopoulos said.

“I don’t believe that. I think you need at least a few years consecutively where all students, and especially low achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later,” he added.

His research used data from the massive Project Star study in Tennessee that analysed the effects of class size on more than 11,000 students in elementary and middle school.

Konstantopoulos found that students who had been in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had substantially higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who had been in larger classes early on, said an MSU release.

Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found. But low-achievers benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap with high-achievers in science, reading and math, Konstantopoulos said.

The study appears in the American Journal of Education.