Class sizes pilot ‘not serious’

The ALP's pilot project on class sizes will not make a serious contribution to knowledge of the effects of class size, Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW chair Tony Vinson told Federation's February Council.

This year, under the pilot, 63 schools will get an extra teacher.

"There may exist a technical protocol setting out the design of this project and it may be that this plan is inadequately reflected in what has been published," Professor Vinson said.

"However, one can only conclude from the published material that the class size pilot project lacks the technical design features that would enable it to make a serious contribution to knowledge of the effects of class size."

However, Professor Vinson gave credit to the ALP for having undertaken to increase the number of pre-schools attached to primary schools, "although the Inquiry believes the scale of that initiative needs to be increased to help ensure that disadvantaged children obtain the benefits of that experience".

Professor Vinson noted that to date the Coalition's policies had said nothing about pre-school from the point of view of the Inquiry's findings but judged the Coalition's position on small class sizes the strongest feature of its education policies.

"The undertaking to set K-2 class sizes at an average of 21, beginning with schools serving disadvantaged communities and gradually extending the policy to other areas, approximates to the recommendations of the Inquiry," Professor Vinson said.

"It is a pity that the final step could not be taken and the recommended maximum of 20 observed.

"Perhaps more serious is the adoption of the idea of an 'average' for the benefits demonstrated by the rigorous research are based on a definite ceiling, not average teacher/student ratios which could fluctuate from figures well below the prevailing levels to those not far removed from the current norms."

"A promising policy initiative could become an evidence-supported one -- a comparatively rare event in Australian social policy -- if a fixed maximum class size were to be stipulated," Professor Vinson added.

Carr sends Watkins to stall for time

©2000-2002 NSWTF Online is a resource for teachers
provided by the NSW Teachers Federation.
[Authorisation of election comment] [Privacy]

http://www.nswtf.org.au/journal_extras/notser.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005