Parents often believe small classes will give their kids an academic edge. But a study finds achievement gains may be elusive unless a class size of 13-17 students is maintained for at least four years.
Although previous studies have shown the short-term merits of smaller classes, few have probed results from kindergarten to graduation. The research, of Tennessee schoolchildren, shows that students placed in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had graduation rates nearly 12 percent above those in larger groups over the same period.
