Review of The Impact of a Universal Class-Size Reduction Policy: Evidence from Florida's Statewide Mandate

A new Think Twice review released today finds that a recent report on the effect of Florida's class-size reduction reform on student achievement does not actually study the impact of class-size reduction.The Impact of a Universal Class-Size Reduction Policy: Evidence from Florida's Statewide Mandate, written by Matthew M. Chingos for the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University's Kennedy School, was reviewed for the Think Twice think tank review project by Professor Jeremy Finn of the University at Buffalo-SUNY. Finn, a statistics expert, was a lead researcher of Tennessee's Project STAR, a large, randomized experiment in class-size reduction (CSR). In 2002, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment mandating CSR throughout that state's schools.The Chingos study compares student test scores in districts that already had average class sizes smaller than required by the amendment with student scores in districts with average class sizes larger than required by the amendment. Districts that already had smaller class sizes received the same additional funding but could use the money as they saw fit, while those with larger class sizes were required to use the state CSR funds to reduce class sizes. Chingos concludes that "mandated CSR in Florida had little, if any, effect on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes" in the students examined. Finn, however, points out that the study doesn't actually address the effect of CSR on student achievement. Instead the study compares the results of schools that reduced class size with a group of schools that received monies to use as they wished. Both sets of districts in the study had small class sizes. According to Finn, the study's finding would more accurately be stated as "administrative discretion in spending state class-size reduction funds did not affect students' academic performance."Finn's review also points out that there are other flaws in the Chingos study: It uses the broad brush of school and district averages rather than student-level information about class sizes and test scores. Also, the actual class-size differences between the two groups were too small to make an educational difference; both of the groups had small average class sizes.Finn concludes, "Despite its title, this report does not address the issue of class-size reduction. By being presented as an evaluation of Florida's mandated class size limits, it may lead parents, educators, or policy makers to draw faulty conclusions about the impact of the program.

The Legal Environment of Salmond's Time

This paper examines through multiple lenses the world of the lawyer in early 20th century New Zealand. It considers, and places in their social and political context, the major issues with which Parliament and the courts were dealing, notably issues to do with alienation of Māori land and attempts to prohibit the liquor trade,  but also looking at law reform by private members' Bills. The reported decisions of the courts are analysed to consider the areas of frequent litigation, particularly land law (including Māori land cases), administrative and public law cases thrown up by the prohibition question and the very large volume of torts cases. It then examines the position of the judiciary and the courts, paying particular attention to agitation by the profession for increased judicial salaries and to the debates about the role of the Privy Council following its judgment in Wallis's case. It concludes with a discussion of the organisation and membership of the legal profession, the state of legal education and the development of a body of locally-generated legal literature

Australasian Law and Canadian Statutes in the Nineteenth Century: A Study of the Movement of Colonial Legislation Between Jurisdictions

This paper considers the use between 1850 and 1900 by Anglo-Canadian legislatures of legislative precedents from the Australian and New Zealand colonies and argues that while a wide range of Australasian laws were considered by Canadian legislators, the most significant Australasian influences are to be found in mining law, electoral and constitutional law and land law The paper goes on to explore, by use of archival, parliamentary and published materials, the processes by which Canadian legislators acquired their knowledge of these Australasian initiatives. While governmental and institutional channels (including the Colonial Office) played a significant part in the transmission of information, it is suggested that personal experience of leading local figures was often of great importance, as were legal periodicals. Commercial interests were also particularly important in the campaigns for adoption of Torrens system land registration legislation

John James Meikle and the Problem of the Wrongly Convicted: An Enquiry into the History of Criminal Appeals in New Zealand

This article investigates the development of the law governing of appeals in criminal cases in New Zealand, and the substantial though neglected history of agitation for recourse for the wrongly convicted. It uses as a lens the story of John James Meikle, a farmer convicted of sheep stealing in 1887, who later successfully prosecuted the principal prosecution witness for perjury, successfully petitioned Parliament for compensation, was the subject of a Royal Commission into his conviction and, uniquely, was declared innocent by an Act of Parliament in 1908. Meikle's case was one of several highly publicised cases in the period 1880-1910 which demonstrated serious shortcomings in the law and led to parliamentary and public calls for reform. By 1910, calls for enactment of legislation on the lines of the Court of Criminal Appeal (established 1907) received wide supporting in parliament and from the judiciary. The article concludes by looking at the reasons why, despite this level of consensus, reform legislation was delayed until 1945.&nbsp

Small Classes in American Schools: Research, Practice, and Politics

Today I’d like to talk about an unusual combination of events—a case in which school practice has informed research which has informed practice. In particular, I’ll talk about: The current status of class-size reduction programs in the U. S.; that will be short because it is changing even as we speak.The research base that provided the motivation for districtwide and statewide class-size initiatives.Some misapplication of the research.Questions about reduced classes that remain unanswered, and current work to explain why small classes are effective

Misbehavior, Suspensions, and Security Measures in High School: Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences

This study used merged data from three national surveys to address questions about security measures in American high schools, suspension rates, and student misbehavior. First, the study identified the characteristics of schools that implemented the most extreme security measures and those with the highest levels of discipline. Second, the study used data on individual students to examine misbehavior and race and gender disparities in suspensions not attributable to misbehavior. The main findings were: (1) In-school suspensions serve a ‘gateway’ function with regard to out-of-school suspensions. They may provide a time and place to address behavior problems before they escalate or disproportionate out-of-school suspensions before they occur; (2) Out-of-school suspensions were more frequent among schools in higher-crime neighborhoods. Thus students suspended may be relegated to an environment not conducive to positive educational or social outcomes; (3) African-American students and Hispanic/Latino students were suspended at higher rates than were non-Hispanic whites, differences in most cases not attributable to different levels of misbehavior; (4) Overall, males were more likely to be suspended than were females, an effect above and beyond that explained by differences in behavior. There was little or no difference in the suspension rates of black males and females, however; (5) High degrees of school security were associated with increased suspension rates and increased black – white disparities in total suspensions. At the same time, most black students were enrolled in schools with high degrees of security; (6) Black males were suspended at higher and higher rates as school size increased. All of these have implications for school policy and practice. These are discussed in the paper together with limitations of the investigation

A Reader\u27s Guide to the Major Writings of Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards—widely considered one the most important theologians in American history—has influenced generation after generation with his transcendent vision of our great and glorious God. But reading his writings for the first time can be a daunting task. Here to be your trustworthy guides are some of the very best interpreters of Edwards, who walk you through his most important works with historical context, strategies for reading, and contemporary application—launching you into a lifetime of discovering Edwards’s God-centered vision of the Christian life for yourself.https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books/1197/thumbnail.jp

NEPC Review: The Impact of a Universal Class-Size Reduction Policy: Evidence from Florida's Statewide Mandate

In 2002, voters in Florida approved a constitutional amendment limiting class sizes in public schools to 18 students in the elementary grades, 22 students in middle grades, and 25 in high school grades. Analyzing statewide achievement data for school districts from 2004-2006 and for schools in 2007, this study purports to find that "mandated [class-size reduction] in Florida had little, if any, effect on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes." The study has four flaws that, taken together, invalidate it as an evaluation of class-size reduction: 1) The data used are drawn from grades 3 and 4 to 8, where the likelihood of finding class size effects is small. 2) The differences in class sizes of two comparison groups (treated and untreated) range from about 0.5 to about 3.0 students, all too small to make a difference educationally. 3) School and district average class sizes are used in the analysis rather than the actual sizes of classes in which students were enrolled. 4) The comparison is between two sets of districts, both with small classes, differing only in whether state funding was used in a focused or general way. This study actually found that administrative discretion in spending state class-size reduction funds did not affect students&rsquo; academic performance.</p

The inter-colonial element in colonial statute law : An enquiry into aspects of the legislation of the British settlement colonies, 1790-1900

The thesis considers various of the factors which shaped the development of the statute law of the British settlement colonies in the nineteenth century. The principal argument is that the conventional analysis which largely ascribes legal development in each colony to either British precedents or indigenous innovations and regards the influence of other colonies as of only occasional importance is inadequate and must be modified. The thesis proposes instead an analysis which recognises borrowing from other colonies as a standard means of legal development and reform. Archival, parliamentary and other sources are used to assess the factors influencing legal developments found in several colonies. The thesis examines some of the elements which influenced the choices made by colonial legislators or legislatures in the selection of colonial or English statutes as the basis for further colonial legislation. The discussion is illustrated by examination of particular areas of law and by a reference to the degree to which statute law was the product of the influence of certain individuals and institutions. In particular there is discussion of the role of the members of the judiciary and of other colonial officials, particularly the Parliamentary Draftsmen employed in some colonies in the latter part of the period, as well as consideration of the nature and impact of legislation put forward by private members of the legislative bodies. The role and effect of the Colonial Office in monitoring and developing colonial law is also discussed. The thesis also seeks to explore the formal and informal channels by which legal ideas and innovations passed from colony to colony, particularly the developments which were generated by the migration of individuals between colonies or which relied, in whole or in part, on unofficial links between government officials, lawyers, politicians or other individuals in the different colonies

Small Classes in the Early Grades and Course Taking in High School

Researchers examined the relationship between small-class participation in the first four years of school and course-taking patterns in high school. Using original data from Tennessee's Project STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio) with high school transcripts for 3,922 students from the STAR experiment, the hypothesis that class size is related to the amount and level of coursework taken in mathematics, science, and foreign language was tested. Results indicated that students who spent three or more years in small classes took more foreign language courses, higher-level foreign language courses, and higher-level mathematics courses than did students in full-size classes. The possibility that small-class participation would benefit low-SES students more than high-SES students was also explored, but no evidence was found of an SES-specific effect. The results are discussed in terms of (a) using class-size policies to promote the taking of advanced courses in high school, and (b) the need to consider long-term outcomes when evaluating class-size reduction initiatives