Estimating the Cost of National Class Size Reductions under Different Policy Alternatives

We estimate the operational costs of nationwide class size reduction (CSR) programs under various policy alternatives, including the specified class size, flexibility in implementation, and whether the policy is targeted toward at-risk students. Depending on the specific options chosen, the estimate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational evaluation and policy analysis 1999-06, Vol.21 (2), p.179-192
Main Authors: Brewer, Dominic J., Krop, Cathy, Gill, Brian P., Reichardt, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Class Size
Competency based teacher education
Cost Effectiveness
Cost estimates
Cost estimation models
Costs
Educational Finance
Educational Policy
Elementary Secondary Education
High Risk Students
National Programs
Operating costs
School enrollment
School year
Small Classes
Student costs
Teacher salaries
Teacher Student Ratio
Teachers
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Summary:We estimate the operational costs of nationwide class size reduction (CSR) programs under various policy alternatives, including the specified class size, flexibility in implementation, and whether the policy is targeted toward at-risk students. Depending on the specific options chosen, the estimated costs vary from about $2 billion per year to over $11 billion per year. These estimates could be further increased by teacher salary hikes necessitated by the rapid increase in the demand for teachers that results from CSR. Policymakers considering such a policy on a large scale should question whether it is the most cost-effective way of boosting student achievement.
ISSN:0162-3737
1935-1062
DOI:10.3102/01623737021002179