A state program that has invested billions to shrink class sizes is coming apart, and the number of kids in many California classrooms is at the highest level in more than a decade. That’s according to a new investigation by California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting in collaboration with KQED Public Radio. We’ll find out how teachers are coping with kindergarten through third grade classes that have as many as 30 students, a situation now common in districts like San Jose and Contra Costa County. Meanwhile, some argue that with pressing budget cuts and inconclusive evidence about the benefit of small class sizes, class size reduction should not be a priority. We explore the debate.
Guests:
Louis Freedberg, director of California Watch, former member of the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle and former executive director of the California Media Collaborative
Norton Grubb, professor of policy, organization, measurement and evaluation at UC Berkeley's School of Education and author of "The Money Myth"
Camille Haroldsen, third grade teacher at H.A. Hyde Elementary School in Watsonville
Sheila Jordan, Alameda County superintendent of schools
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