I’ll admit I’m biased in favor of small class sizes. In elementary school, I was overlooked and unhappy in classes of 25-30 children. Though I was a fairly good student, I woke up with stomachaches at the thought of going to school, and that didn’t stop until I switched to a very small school in fourth grade. The teacher I had that year, Mrs. Wasser, did wonders for my interest in school and my confidence in my abilities, especially in math.

A new study by a Michigan State professor, “Teacher Effects in Early Grades: Evidence from a Randomized Study,” has pointed out that the good teacher I had may have had as much effect in my improvement as the small class size. It examined a group of students who participated in the Tennessee STAR study and found that students who had consistently good teachers K-2 (that is, teachers who were at 85 percentile of teacher effectiveness distribution) had up to one-third of a year’s growth in reading achievement. This effect was comparable to the cumulative effect of small classes in the early grades.

It’s important to note that a teacher at the 85th percentile of effectiveness is a very good teacher. And having a good teacher three years in a row would a stellar start in education for anyone. But I think this study points out that a good education will never be due to one single factor — and that there’s more research to be done about how class size and teacher effectiveness interact.

But if both class size and good teachers can have a significant impact on student learning, frankly, I think that’s a good thing. Read our guides on what makes a good teacher and on class size for more information about both these topics.

Oh, and one more thing: Thank you, Mrs. Wasser.

–Rebecca St. Andrie