But then, I’m of a generation that basically had everything cut one or two years before I got there, so it’s easy for me to see the problem. Schools are dead broke. They’re trying to run a millionnaire’s budget on a pensioner’s paycheque.

Any problems after that (lesson content, teaching styles, the mysterious “10% of teachers suck” assertion) are insignificant next to the lack of funding.

And, because I’m not an expert, after saying throw money at it, I’m content to let the experts do the rest.

So, in general, reducing class size from 25 to 20 is pretty much a waste of money. You can make average teachers more effective through training. Or you can hire more teachers. Either will work but one is probably a lot cheaper.

There is a lot of crappy research in the education field. However, there is no shortage of known ways to improve student achievement that is not implemented. It requires time, training, support, and as a result, money.

Pen, reading your later comment, I now see you came here prepared for this fight,but thinking it was a different fight, or thinking that everyone was already thinking what you were thinking they were thinking.

No Greg, I merely noticed you had made a strong assertion without backing it up. Then when Maureen made a comment I found slightly offensive in tone (and not terribly convincing because it’s 30 years old), I spent 5 minutes with Google. Not prepared at all… no fight… except maybe that I’m very into evidence-based practices, so I’m always willing to fight for those.

Pen did ask whether there had been any research on class size, which would suggest a failure of the google finger. When he then presented to me a piece of Friedmanite special pleading as though it were evidence I promptly forgot about him.

Interestingly, Hanushek has changed jobs and now appears to be pushing the notion that the problems of low achievement would be best tackled by spending more money. And of that sort of shift an early result would be – wait for it – smaller class sizes.

Anyone with a child in school today watching as more and more flyers come home asking for more and more donations, fundraisers, school supplies, etc. It is painfully clear that our schools can barely keep their doors open. They are running on shoe strings. I can’t speak for all schools, but my local district is doing what they can with what they have! They are teaching so much more today in better ways than I remember as a child, but with less money. You’re right, I have nothing to say about the education system in America other than it is ridiculously under funded. How about we take all the free money we’re giving churches and put that into education?

Here’s the thing. Our system of education in this country has remained the same or gotten worse in most measures, objectively and scientifically.

[citation needed]

Mike the Mad Biologist has a long series of blog posts on education in the US. He consistently makes the point that the US education system is as good as anywhere in the world if you control for levels of child poverty, which is the single biggest factor affecting educational outcomes.

The other factor is poverty. When children come to school hungry and on two hours sleep because they were taking care of younger siblings, they do not learn as well.

I’m sure that tea baggers believe that it is the teachers fault that their students belong to a gang or are so terrified of gangs that they are afraid to do well in school.