| Citation: | Lee, V. E., & Loeb, S. (2000). School size in Chicago elementary schools: Effects on teachersÕ attitudes and studentsÕ achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37(1), 5-31. |
Annotation:
The researchers in this quantitative study explore whether teachers and students are influenced by the size of the inner-city elementary school to which they belong. Findings showed that small elementary schools work better than middle-sized or large schools. Small schools differed from medium and large schools in that they enrolled fewer low-income students. Another finding showed that average collective responsibility was considerably higher. Also, mathematics achievement scores of sixth and eighth graders differed considerably by school size. Students in small schools scored .40 SD above those in mid-sized and large schools. Researchers collected data through surveys and annual standardized tests from almost 5,000 teachers and 23,000 sixth and eighth graders in 264 K-8 Chicago schools. All teachers, principals, and 6th, 8th, and 10th grade students in the Chicago public schools were surveyed, but the sample was restricted to the 264 Chicago elementary schools that enroll students through the entire span of the elementary and middle grades (K-8), as size is a function of the grades enrolled. Schools were divided into three size categories: schools enrolling fewer than 400 students, schools enrolling between 400 and 750 students, and schools with more than 750 students. An important message for teachers is that they impact student achievement by their attitudes, positively or negatively. Although researchers cite the limited external validity of the study, to the extent that Chicago Public schools represent urban schools in the U. S., perhaps the findings could be generalizable.
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