By AMANDA FLEMINGER
As students approached the first day of school, they may have noticed the troubles caused by schedules and students switching in and out of classes. To this day, these activities are still occurring. Although students were quick to judge the new amendment, Senate Bill 30A passed by Florida voters, and blame the school problems on this act, one should first consider its benefits.
Schools needed to hire new teachers to ensure the amendment work properly; hiring additional employees means allocating more funds for additional classrooms, supplies and salaries. According to American School and University, it is estimated this amendment cost nearly $4 billion per year. Students might argue the money is a waste; however, it is not. These costs are benefiting this country’s future leaders.
Smaller class sizes are statistically proven to boost student’s performance. In 2008, Adam Gamoran of the University of Wisconsin’s Sociology department analyzed the findings found in a study of four nations and found that smaller classes provide more personal connections with a teacher. Students can then engage in the lesson and receive help more efficiently with the instructor and increase the one-on-one time.
A study by the Tennessee’s Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio Project shows that reducing class sizes in grades K-3 substantially increases math and reading scores. These studies are also confirmed by Wisconsin’s Students Achievement Guarantee in Education and California’s Class Size Reduction Research Consortium’s studies.
The Class Size Amendment aids African-Americans and those facing economic disadvantages strongest, according to the STAR and SAGE programs. However, focusing on smaller classes of all races at the start of kindergarten through third grade increases the impact of those students more as they graduate to higher levels of education. According to the STAR study, the longer a student attended a smaller class, the more beneficial the outcome. Long lasting benefits include students taking more advanced classes, less students being retained or dropping out and being more prepared for college.
Based on these studies, it is clear that instead of complaining about having one’s schedule being changed five times, students should be grateful for the improvements to their education. As high school students are preparing for college, the more one-on-one time students spend with their teachers could greatly increase their scores, aiding them to the level competitive universities are looking for.
Complaining and disapproving the new amendment won’t change a thing; all one can do is embrace the changes. If students want to blame the school’s faults on the law, they are being ignorant. The five schedule changes one might have endured has more to do with the school’s funding rather than the amendment alone. In 2002, when the voting took place, voters did not specifically look at one particular school alone and say, “hmm, they may not have the funding for this amendment.” Rather, they looked at the state as a whole and noticed the amendment’s far-reaching benefits. These benefits will only enhance one’s education, not hurt it.
In 2006, Florida spent $7,400 per pupil, and today we only spend $6,400, while the national average is $10,000. Only 3.1 percent of Florida’s resources are spent on education ranking 50th in the country in per capita funding for K-12 education. If schools had the correct funding, the amendment would work properly.