classes have no more than 12 students, with an overall student/ teacher ratio of eight to one. “We use small classes because our students need the individualized attention,� says founder and director Betsy Box, adding that smaller class sizes cut down on distractibility and discipline issues. “It helps the teacher because she can teach and not just manage the class,� she says. “In a small class, children are more willing to volunteer or take a risk. They’re not as worried about getting laughed at. In a small class, they feel more confident and are more willing to risk being wrong.� Approaching the issue from a different angle is Montessori. The Montessori philosophy calls for grouping students of varying ages according to their windows of development. Montessori deliberately fosters larger classes of around 25-30 students, with 25 considered the target number.
Atlanta. Throughout the Montessori experience, student/ teacher ratios are kept low, with one teacher for every three to six students, and students receive a great deal of one-on-one attention at every turn. “Our philosophy is built upon following the child and delivering the lesson in ways that are meaningful to each child and would meet academic needs,� she says.
Infinity and Beyond Since the Georgia Board of Education voted to remove limits on class sizes due to a budget crisis brought on by the struggling economy, “there really aren’t [mandated] class sizes anymore,� says Thomas Van Soelen, associate superintendent for City Schools of Decatur. “Each school gets to decide.� Van Soelen cautions that concentrating too much on classroom size instead of other factors misses the bigger picture.
“It’s the teacher that makes the difference.� —Thomas Van Soelen, City Schools of Decatur
But a focus solely on the system’s class size is misleading, says Ernestine Morgan, admissions coordinator at First Montessori School of
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