"I will continue to push for smaller class size to ensure an optimal learning environment for all students."
Oct. 1, 2014 Oscar de Ia Torre

"For the vast majority of age ranges and subjects, class sizes over 25 are clearly harmful to both the learning outcomes of students and a major burden to teachers who wish to teach their material properly. As a teacher, I know that classes over 24 students become difficult to teach in small groups. With 24 students, a teacher can split students into four groups of six students. Each group can be working collaboratively and/or with the teacher or teacher's aide. While groups of seven might seem similar, as the group size exceeds five or six, the benefits of small group work are rapidly lost. While there are times where the old fashioned teacher-centered model is appropriate, most times the best learning takes place in smaller groups. Large class sizes impact the teacher's ability to regularly assign meaningful homework too. Meaningful homework involving problem solving, unique solutions, creative or academic writing, independent research, or so many other critical 21st century tasks becomes exponentially burdensome to grade, provide personal feedback, and/or remediate as class size grows. The risk of large class size is less engaged, less creative classrooms, regardless of teacher commitment or skill."
Oct. 1, 2014 Craig Foster

"The student/teacher ratio impacts the time a teacher has to interact directly with individual students, the structure of the work product the teacher requires of the student and the general classroom working environment.

Unfortunately, in California, which funds education per student 47th in the US, larger class sizes are the norm in order to maintain a broad spectrum of academic opportunities for our students.

Through the Vision for Student Success program, the district is providing trained Instructional Assistants in all elementary classrooms for a few hours per day and Literacy Coaches in all schools providing support for our teachers. Additionally, through Linked Learning our teachers are collaborating to provide more student-focused lessons. The solution to providing smaller class sizes is to increase funding for our schools so that we can maintain our wide spectrum of academic and arts classes while reducing the teacher/student ratio."
Oct. 1, 2014 Ralph Mechur

"In my view, the student/teacher ratio is one of the most significant factors in closing the achievement gap. Students need to be seen by their teachers and teachers need time to connect with their students.

Currently, teachers at the upper grades get roughly one minute of individualized instruction per student once course material is presented. This is not adequate.

We must rely on teachers and their expertise in identifying a ratio that is best to address the achievement gap and to ensure that a joy of learning is not diminished in our classrooms."
Oct. 1, 2014 Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein