ERIC Number: EJ688344
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-May
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
Small Classes in the Early Grades, Academic Achievement, and Graduating From High School
Finn, Jeremy D.; Gerber, Susan B.; Boyd-Zaharias, Jayne
Journal of Educational Psychology, v97 n2 p214-223 May 2005
This investigation addressed 3 questions about the long-term effects of early school experiences: (a) Is participation in small classes in the early grades (K-3) related to high school graduation? (b) Is academic achievement in K-3 related to high school graduation? (c) If class size is related to graduation, is the relationship explained by the effect of participation in small classes on students' academic achievement? The study included 4,948 participants in Tennessee's class-size experiment, Project STAR. Analyses showed that graduating was related to K-3 achievement and that attending small classes for 3 or more years increased the likelihood of graduating from high school, especially among students eligible for free lunch. Policy and research implications are discussed.
Descriptors: High Schools, Graduation, Class Size, Academic Achievement, Small Classes, Primary Education, Student Experience, Predictor Variables, Low Income Groups
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED502502