Smaller class sizes will make school days better for Chicago public school students
CHICAGO – As the Board of Education moves closer to closing and consolidating public schools many teachers remain concerned about growing class sizes and school overcrowding. Class size reduction is one of only four, evidence-based reforms that have been proven to increase student achievement. As schools prepare to move to longer school days next year, lowering class size will go a long way toward providing students with better school days.
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has launched a campaign to lower class sizes and amend the 1995 Amendatory Act 115 ILCS 5/4.5 which prohibits the Union from bargaining over the issue in addition to class staffing and assignments.
Chicago’s average class sizes at the early childhood grades (K-1) are larger than 95 percent of all Illinois school districts. Though the current collective bargaining agreement provides for 28 students per class at the kindergarten level, 28 at the primary level; 31 at the intermediate level and upper grades; and, 20 in the education and vocational guidance centers, some class rooms across the city have exceeded those limits and may be growing.
“Despite the fact that research shows that smaller class sizes improves the education children get, Chicago’s class sizes are unconscionably large,” said CTU President Karen GJ Lewis. “Teachers, education experts and parents agree – we need smaller class sizes. Our teachers, who spend every day educating our kids, plan to mount a campaign to force the unaccountable school board to grapple with this issue.”
A recent CTU analysis of Illinois average classroom sizes showed early grade classrooms in the city are larger than those in 95 percent of the districts in the rest of the state. Chicago’s class size has inched up at the lower grades, ballooned at the high school level, while districts across Illinois are lowering their class sizes relative to Chicago.
In 2000, Chicago district-wide average high-school class size was reported at 17.9., which was larger than 68 percent of the 504 school districts in Illinois that have high schools. Chicago is now at 25.1 students per class at the high school level. Over 10 years Chicago has gone from the 68th percentile in high school class size to the 99th percentile.
Chicago’s district-wide average kindergarten class size was reported at 23.3 in 2000. This is larger than 88 percent of the school districts in Illinois that have kindergarten classes. CPS is now at the 95th percentile, with 24.1 students per class.
The same trend is apparent at the 3rd grade level. Chicago’s average class size at 3rd grade was at the 85th percentile in 2000, with 24.2 students per class. Chicago is now at the 93rd percentile with 25.2 students per class.
This shows that over the past decade, for both kindergarten and third grade, the actual increase in students per class in Chicago is not large (an increase of just 1 student). However, other districts across Illinois are on average decreasing their class sizes at the early childhood levels relative to Chicago.
In addition, students of color and poor pupils are more likely to be enrolled in classrooms with 25 or more students. For example, several complaints about swelling class sizes reported to CTU were from schools with majority African American and Latino populations:
- Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond: 1st, 2nd grade, 5th and 6th grade classes with more than 30 students each, and, some with upwards of 35
- Columbia Explorers School, 4520 S. Kedzie: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 6th and 8th grade classes with more than 30 students each, one 8th grade room has 35 students
- Edwards Elementary School, 4815 S. Karlov: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 8th grade classes with more than 30 students each
- Gresham Elementary School, 8524 S. Green: Kindergarten class with 43 students; more than 30 students in some 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th and 8th grade classrooms.
- Nathan Hale, 6140 S. Melvina: 1st, 2nd,3rd and 7th grade classrooms with more than 30 students each
- Dixon Elementary School, 8306 S. St. Lawrence: 6th and 7th grade classes with more than 30 students each; a 4th grade classroom has 38 students
- Byrne Elementary School, 5329 S. Oak Park: 5th, 6th, 7th grade classrooms with more than 30 students each
- Addams Elementary School, 10810 S. Avenue H: 3rd grade classes with more than 30 students each
- Jordan Elementary, 7414 N. Wolcott: 2nd, 4th and 7th grade classes with more than 30 students each
- Cardenas Elementary School, 2345 S. Millard: Kindergarten classes with nearly 35 students in each class
“Unfortunately, the law says the Board doesn’t have to talk to us about class sizes,” Lewis said. “That’s why we want to have the power to make them sit down with us and the community to talk about how to lower class sizes. If we are going to provide our students with better school days ahead, we know they need smaller class sizes. We want to work with the Board of Education to figure out how to lower class sizes for all of Chicago’s students.”
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents 30,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in the Chicago Public Schools and, by extension, the students and families they serve. CTU, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, is the third largest teachers local in the country and the largest local union in Illinois. For more information visit CTU’s website at www.ctunet.com
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