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Teacher Advocacy Project

Classroom Size

SED 322

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College - Arizona State University

Jacqueline Ali
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Introduction to the Problem

Many problems in public schools are often overlooked. As teachers it is important to

make sure these problems are noticed and resolved to the best of our ability. We want our

students to be successful inside and outside of our classrooms but that means giving our students

the best possible education that we can. Many students need one-on-one attention and

accommodations in order to be successful but sometimes this can be overlooked due to the

teacher being overwhelmed by all the needs of all the other students. In many districts

classrooms are filled to full capacity and students needs are often overlooked. In many cases

there are two different scenarios. One scenario is the students who need the most help are payed

attention to but those riding the middle of the pack or are at the top are ignored. Or the other

scenario where the students who are at the bottom are left behind while those in the middle and

at the top are payed the most attention to. Classroom size is a major problem that is facing many

schools across the United States.

At Moon Valley High School most classes consist of thirty or more students. For many

teachers this is an overwhelming amount of students to be able to effectively provide the one-on-

one attention that many students need. In one of Mr. Boies AP American Government classes,

there consist of thirty-six students. The classroom is filled with desks and each one of them being

filled. This takes away from opportunities to have students move around in different groups or

just be actively engaged in the classroom. If classroom sizes were smaller there would be so

many more opportunities for group work, having different stations around the classroom so

students can get up and move around and so much more. It would also give students who need

help, more time to be attended to.

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The students and teachers are the largest stakeholders when it comes to classroom size

since they are the ones dealing with this problem on a day to day basis. Unfortunately there is not

much room for the teachers and students to make way about this issue since classroom size is a

budgeting issue. The budgeting for schools are left up to the districts and then ultimately the

state. The teachers and students are not at a level to have a major influence on these decisions

since it goes way over their heads. The major challenge with this issue is that it deals with the top

levels of influence within education and it is getting the attention of those people of influence to

change what has been done for so long that is difficult. They are often too busy or too difficult to

contact and/or do not see a reason for change. They are not the ones who are directly dealing

with this problem so they might not be affected by it, if at all. It then is possible that those on the

higher levels might argue that students overall in the state are just doing fine so there is no need

for change. Their defense might be around the lines of if it is not broken then why fix it.

It is important that we as teachers teach more than just content in the classroom but

provide students with potential skills that they can take with them into the real world. Large

classroom sizes are putting a strain on the potential skills that teachers can implementing in their

classrooms. It is effectuating the education of our youth in a negative manner and it is one of the

hardest issues to have rectified due to the difficult reach that teachers would have to make into

the hierarchy of education. There would also have to be lots of advocating for this issue and

many teachers who are struggling with same issue might not feel the need to go out and advocate

for any sort of change. Classroom size is a major issue that affects majority of teachers but

because it is such a major issue, many teachers feel that it will not be rectified and therefore feels

no need to advocate for change.

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Environment Analysis

At Moon Valley High School there are many different factors that either hinder with the

success of the school or help the school drive to success. Many factors are out of the schools

control due to the environment and the community that the school is located in, while others are

factors that are implemented by the state or the districts school board. Many factors that deal

with the state or the schools district may affect the school in a negative manner since they are

put into place by those who are not in the schools themselves and know firsthand the situations

that are being dealt with in the classrooms. Since there is such a hands off approach in many

cases, schools suffer. By analyzing the elements that both benefit and negatively affect Moon

Valley, it gives an opportunity to see where there is room for change or improvement.

In the case of Moon Valley High School, there are elements that internally strengthen or

weaken Moon Valleys mission to reach success. One internal strength that Moon Valley has, is

its staff. The staff at Moon Valley dedicate themselves to getting to know each one of their

students and making sure they succeed in the classroom. After observing several different

classrooms, although the environment changes while in each one, the same initiative to help their

students, is there. In regards to the issue of classroom size, even though it may be overwhelming

to have so many students, the teachers at Moon Valley do their best to accommodate all of their

students needs. In Mr. Boie's Economics class, he has a total of 12 special educations students

and he does his best to accommodate all of their IEPs as well as the needs of the other students in

the class who do not have an IEP. From the inside, teachers are doing their best with the hand

they are dealt.

The biggest inconvenience to the teachers at Moon Valley would be the classroom size

that they have to deal with. Teachers are given a class with thirty-six or more students and too
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many needs to be fulfilled for each of those students in a fifty-five minute class period. There are

students who are ELLs, special needs and students who just learn in non-average way. Not all

students are created equal and putting the work into the accommodations that students need,

nether less the actual planning, grading and the overall linguistics that teachers have to deal with

on a daily basis.

The best way to overcome the issue of overcrowding our classrooms would be to hire

more teachers so there can be a higher distribution of students between teachers but many

teachers do not want to work in the state of Arizona due to the salary. Arizona stands in fiftieth

place when it comes to ranking states by their pay for teachers. For many teachers, Arizona is the

last state they want to teach in, unless it is in a well-paying district or charter school.

Unfortunately, the Glendale Union High School District does not fall into either one of those

categories so it would be difficult for Moon Valley to attract more teachers but the district would

also have an issue paying for those teachers due to their budget. Education in the state of Arizona

is highly underfunded and many of the stakeholders involved in education suffer because of this.

This includes the administration, teachers, students, parents and so on. The underfunding of

education also affects how teachers operate inside their classroom due to lack of resources and

supplies. Many students need accommodations in the classroom and teachers are struggling to

assist the accommodations due to the lack of resources. The underfunding of education has a

negative impact inside the classroom.

In regards to overcoming overcrowding in the classroom, the best way to do so would be

to hire more teachers but until there is adjustments in the budget to do so, it is unlikely to see a

change in this issue. The teachers at Moon Valley High School are doing their best to

accommodate to all students and have them gain success, even with all the factors that stand
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against them. The teachers are the main reason that Moon Valley has been successful with its

students but things can change if class sizes continue to grow. Districts and the state need to re-

evaluate their budget so students can continue to be successful.

Stakeholder Analysis

The problem of large classroom sizes affects many different stakeholders. It affects

students, teachers, school administration, the district school board and the Arizona Board of

Education, all in different ways. Some deal with the problem on a day to day basis while others

only have to deal with the problem when they hear about it as being an issue. However, it is

those who do not deal with it on a daily basis that have the biggest role to play towards a

resolution of the issue. The problem is an example of a trickle-down effect because those at the

state level have to deal with the major budgeting for districts and due to the lack of funding for

education, money is trickled down to the districts, the administration and that ultimately affects

the classroom environment, affecting what the daily classroom looks like for teachers and

students. Each stakeholder has a different connection with the problem and each stakeholder has

a different role to play in resolving the issue.

The biggest stakeholders that are affected by the issue are the students and teachers. It

affects student learning and hinders the teacher's ability to teach. The smaller the classroom size,

the easier it is for teachers. It allows teachers to get to know their students on a personal level so

teachers and students can make a connection but also allows teachers to know their students on

an academic level. When it comes to a person level, it allows students to gain a trust for their

teachers, the feeling that their teacher actually cares about them and helps students feel that they

are in a safe learning environment. If a student does not develop a professional connection with
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their teacher, they are not as likely to work to their best of their ability in the classroom. On an

academic level, not all students learn the same so it is almost crucial that teachers adhere to

students specific learning style. Teachers should strive for their students to perform to the best

of their ability, and adhering to the learning style that works best for them is the best way to do

it. Another way teacher-student connections benefit academically is knowing what you students

are capable of and being able to set individual goals for them. If a teacher does not know their

students academic ability, it will be hard for them to tell when a student is not meeting up to

their academic ability or when a student is showing improvement. Teachers who know their

students capabilities are able to set each individual student for their own individual success by

setting individual goals for them and working with them to achieve those goals. In a class of

twenty-five or more it becomes difficult for the teacher to adhere to all the different needs that

each student needs as well as looking out for certain red flags.

The class size issue is one that unfortunately is made up outside of the classroom and is

usually out of the student and teacher's hands and into the hands of the school district and the

state Board of Education. Teachers and students have no bearing in the school budget, they are

only expected to make the best out of what they are given. The state Board of Education, in this

case Arizona, has the largest stake in the funding for education and what money goes where. It is

up to them how much each district receives. The Board of Education does not have to deal with

the issue of classroom size on a daily basis other than hearing that it is an issue that teachers are

facing. The Board of Education has the biggest stake in resolving the issue but has the least

amount of involvement with the issue. The next stakeholder after the Board of Education is the

school districts, in this case Glendale Union High School District. They receive funding from the

state and in many cases decide where the funding goes in regards to what schools and then the
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school administration decides where the money specifically goes in that school. In most cases,

funding goes towards to different outlets in education other than the actual classrooms.

None of these stakeholders can find room in their budgets for increasing the amount of

teachers, especially with there being a teacher shortage in Arizona. It is hard to solicit new

teachers in Arizona due to the low salary that teachers are paid compared to teachers in other

states. Teachers and students can advocate for this issue to be resolved all they want but until the

higher stakeholders decide to make a change somewhere in the budget, this will continue to

remain an issue. Classroom size is an issue that has to be resolved from the top but is very

unlikely to occur.

Reflection and Application

The main purpose of the Canned Curriculum Professional Development is that

worksheets and packets should be used as supplementary tools in the classroom, they are not

purposed to replace the teachers teaching. The Professional Development starts off with

reflecting on statements from valley interns and the problems they see in their internships

regarding student engaging. This includes teachers just giving their classs worksheets and

packets to work on without ever giving opportunities to engage with the material. The

Professional Development goes into depth on how teachers are confined by strict legislation such

as No Child Left Behind which puts much pressure on teachers to only get through the content

needed for standardized testing. It discusses how teachers feel they have no room to be engaging

in their classrooms with all these different strategies because they just need to make sure they get

through the content that is required of them. They feel that these strategies are too much for the

classroom and giving them worksheets and packets as well lectures are the only way to make

sure that the students are exposed to the material.

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The Development goes into Why it matters as well as the research that backs up the

evidence for why it is important. The Development discusses two interviews with teachers that

decided to change their learning strategies in the classroom from worksheets to active teaching.

One teacher discusses how they focused on applying the material to the students own lives once

they decided to change their strategies. This helped students better grasp the material as well as

receive better scores because they were able to apply the material to themselves as well as be

able to answer the question why am I learning this? If students do not feel a connection

towards the material, they are less likely to retain the information because it then has no

relevance to them. The second interview then went into a teachers experience with a flipped

classroom.

A flipped classroom is where students listen to lectures online, at home and then are

ready to come to class and work on assignments and/or the homework. A flipped classroom is

beneficial because students listen to the lectures at the comfort of their own home and the

lectures are usually shorter than they would be in a classroom because there are no distractions.

Students can pause the lectures to take notes or look something up which is beneficial. Also

students are prepared with any questions they may have when they come to class the following

day as well as prepared with knowledge to use the class time as productive time. Flipped

classrooms are also beneficial because when students are required to do homework at home, if

they have any questions, the teacher is not there to assist them. In a flipped classroom, when

students are doing the homework and have any questions, the teacher is then there to help them.

The only problem there is with a flipped classroom is that students are not used to it, they are less

likely to listen to the lectures at home and then are not ready for the assignment and/or

homework. This then causes the teacher to waste the work time, explaining the material. In my
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classroom if I were to implement this, I would make it clear the beginning of the school year. It

may take a little bit of time for the students to get used to, but once they do it would then be a

very effective, engagement strategy.

Overall, there are many strategies that benefit students in the classroom due to the fact

that they are engaging. Technology is beneficial because it opens up the doors to different

engagement strategies. The only problem with technology is the availability of using technology,

but if it is something that is assessable when I am a teacher, I do plan on using it as often as

possible. Technology is also beneficial because it allows students to work on their technology

skills which will be useful to them in a society that is dominated by technology, while learning

the required content. Technology can include utilizing Google Classroom, different Web Quests,

different texts online, and fun strategies such as Clickers or Kahoot. These are all different

strategies I would implement in my classroom. An important factor regarding engagement in the

classroom that many teachers fail to realize is that it is much easier and a lot less work to teach

students using engagement strategies rather than using worksheets and packets that students are

unlikely to understand just by completing and it also means a lot more grading, and work when it

comes to classroom management. If you are a lazy teacher, using engaging strategies allows

students to do most of the work.

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Works Cited

Johnson , B., Dano, J., McKee, T., & Shaw, D. (2017, November 19). Canned Curriculum

Professional Development. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/asu.edu/g00gl3

5ites/home