Contrary to what the former Minister of Education declared to the National Assembly, studies carried out around the world document the benefits of reduced numbers. This is particularly true in elementary schools and among disadvantaged schoolchildren.
It was the latest in a long series of controversies affecting Amélie Oudéa-Castera. “Schools can be efficient, but if the number of children is too small for a given class, all emulation is called into question”pleaded the former Minister of National Education, Tuesday February 6, during the question session to the government, after having mentioned the obligation for the executive to close classes. “It made me jump”reacts Guislaine David, spokesperson for the SNUipp-FSU union, a primary union. “We should rather take advantage of the demographic decline to reduce the number of students everywhere.”
Amélie Oudéa-Castera responded to independent MP Guy Bricout, elected from the 18th constituency of the North, who was protesting against class closures “drastic” in 2022 and invited the executive to “reduce the number of students per class”. So, what is the impact of class size on student education? Is a reduced workforce really a problem for “emulation”, namely a feeling pushing to equal or even surpass the other, as Amélie Oudéa-Castera asserts? Franceinfo looked into the question.
In reality, the international scientific literature, which is rather abundant on this subject, tends to demonstrate the opposite. “We still have a fairly convincing scientific corpus on the effects of reducing class size“, says Julien Grenet, co-author of a 2017 Public Policy Institute note on the effect of class sizes on academic performance. “In many countries, whether in the United States, Sweden, Norway and even France, we have been able to measure the positive effects of duplication [action de diviser par deux] class sizes, with relatively convergent effects”explains the research director at CNRS.
An effective measure “every time”
The Public Policy Institute reviewed nine studies deemed methodologically sound. “Of the nine studies identified, seven found statistically significant effects” when the class size decreases from 24 to 12 students, raises the IPP score. Among these studies, the most famous is the so-called “STAR” experiment (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio), carried out on 11,500 American students from kindergarten to CE2, in the state of Tennessee, from 1985 to 1989. These were divided into three groups: small classes (13 to 17 students), normal classes (22 to 25 students) and normal classes assisted by a teaching assistant.
Result: after a year, the lower classes showed much better results in reading and mathematics than their peers in normal classes. In the long term, students from lower grades were also more likely to take a college entrance exam and get higher test scores than their other classmates, according to a 2001 study in the continuity of the STAR project.
“The argument of the former Minister of Education was a bit contrary to the scientific consensus on these questions.”
Julien Grenet, research director at CNRSat franceinfo
Still according to the Public Policy Institute, reducing class size seems effective, even if teachers are not specifically supported on an educational level. That is, if they don’t change anything in their way of teaching. “It’s a device that works automatically. If tomorrow you decide to reduce class size, you will obtain this effect. It’s almost the only educational measure that works every time”observes Laurent Lima, lecturer in educational sciences at Grenoble-Alpes University.
“It’s like making a roughly average student gain 2 or 3 ranks out of 24.”
Julien Grenet, research director at CNRSat franceinfo
In France, the data “approximately confirm what we have in the international data”, observes Laurent Lima. A 2006 study shows that class reductions have very strong beneficial effects at the start of elementary school, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (children of workers or people without professional activity). However, according to this, reductions in numbers in middle and high school seem to have less effects.
“Early interventions are more effective than late interventions, with greater long-term effects”analyzes Julien Grenet. “Kindergarten and primary school are a time when fundamental knowledge is built. If we have not acquired it, in fact, it is more difficult afterwards to catch up”, estimates the economist. For students from disadvantaged backgrounds, this system “allows them to obtain compensation through school from which they do not benefit from their family environment, as is often the case in advantaged environments”continues the economist.
Particularly busy classes in France
For his first five-year term, Emmanuel Macron had promised to limit CP and CE1 classes in Reinforced Priority Education Network (REP+) to a dozen students, a promise kept in 2017. In a context where National Education is struggling to recruit, French classes are among the busiest in Europe: according to INSEE, they had on average 18.3 students per primary school teacher in 2021, compared to 13.4 for the European average. France thus has the second highest student/teacher ratio in the EU, behind Romania (18.7).
Two years after the implementation of the reform, a first assessment “positive” was presented by the government. According to this report, 24,000 students in CP in a reinforced priority education network were in very serious difficulty in French and mathematics. Between 2017 and 2018, the system enabled 2,000 students to catch up in French and 3,000 of them in math.
A February 2022 Senate report, however, estimates that the system did not allow a clear reversal of the academic difficulties encountered by these students, pointing out “mixed results considering the significant resources devoted”.
Students in greater demand
The reform, however, had effects on the classroom atmosphere, according to the executive’s assessment. Questioned, 96.5% of the teachers concerned reported “a better understanding of students’ ways of reasoning”98.5% a “better identification of students’ needs” and 82% a “best dynamic in class”. In addition to this dynamic, it is the frequency of interactions that is improving, notes Laurent Lima. The researcher measured the level of student engagement, as part of the evaluation of the reform.
“Students in small classes are more engaged in school tasks than in other classes, because they want to succeed, to meet the teacher’s expectations.”
Laurent Lima, lecturer at Grenoble-Alpes Universityat franceinfo
The reason is improved visibility: “The fewer there are in a class, the more likely the teacher will ask us at any time”explains Laurent Lima, who observes an increasing number of individual interactions with the teacher, as the number of students decreases.
“No one complained about a lack of dynamic in the classes.”
Laurent Lima, lecturer at Grenoble-Alpes Universityat franceinfo
In addition to being scientifically unfounded, Amélie Oudéa-Castera’s declaration appears incoherent, given the educational policy pursued by the majority. Asked by franceinfo, the Ministry of Education did not respond. For the moment, the 2017 reform is not in question: Gabriel Attal, then Minister of Education, confirmed in August 2023 the continuation of its implementation, with the splitting of classes in the large kindergarten section for the 2024-2025 school year.