MPS Class Size Higher than State Average
First through 5th graders attend classes with 23% more students than
their counterparts in the rest of Wisconsin, according to new WEAC research
released.
A survey of Milwaukee Public School teachers found the average class
size in the 1st through 5th grade was 27 students, compared to the statewide
average of 22. The typical kindergarten class in MPS has 25 students,
compared to 21 statewide.
Teachers said the maximum class size should be no greater than about
20 students. They said the ideal size was 15 to 16 students in kindergarten
and 17 to 18 students in all other classes.
WEAC researcher Russ Allen worked with the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education
Association to design the study and analyze the results.
“This survey is yet more evidence that MPS needs more than deadlines
and threats,” WEAC President Terry Craney said. “Research and
Wisconsin’s Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program have
proven that smaller class sizes, especially in the lower primary grades,
have a direct and positive effect on student achievement. We must act
to lower class sizes for these children.”
Posted May 22, 1998