Should we be trying to reduce class sizes?

Class size has long been a hot topic. As populations increase and funding decreases, pressure on class size is likely to grow. A research review from the UK's Department for Education considers a number of issues around this topic, including the impact of class size on educational outcomes. The authors found a number of benefits from smaller classes, such as individual students being the focus of the teacher's attention for longer. However, previous research has shown that reducing class size is beneficial when classes are as small as around 15 students. According to the UK report, available evidence suggests that class size reduction policies are not the best option in terms of value for money to raising student achievement compared to others options such as increasing teacher effectiveness.