|
"Studies and common sense both show that kids do better in smaller
classes. Smaller classes means that teachers can spend more time
focusing on each student and less time trying to manage too many
kids at once. And studies from Tennessee and Wisconsin show that
students in smaller classes graduate at a higher rate and score
higher on tests than students in larger classes," the governor said.
Senate Bill 2882, sponsored by Rep. Michael Smith, D-Canton, and
Sen. Terry Link, D-Lake Bluff, creates a pilot class-size-reduction
grant program for grades K-3, to be implemented and administered by
the Illinois State Board of Education. The fiscal 2007 budget
includes $10 million for the program, which will be divided into
$50,000 grants for schools to use for teachers' salaries and
benefits. The grants will be distributed among suburban, downstate
and Chicago schools. The grants will be awarded to elementary
schools to ensure class sizes of no more than 15 students. Schools
will be required to use the funds to hire additional classroom
teachers in order to decrease the number of pupils per class.
The State Board of Education will track measures of
student success, including assessment scores and attendance rate, in
comparison with non-pilot program schools with larger classes.
“The Illinois Federation of Teachers has
always been a proponent of smaller class sizes,”
said James Dougherty, president of the organization. “Numerous
studies show increased academic achievement by students when they
have more individual instruction from their teacher. Lower
student-teacher ratios make a difference, particularly in primary
grades. It makes sense to implement a program that is proven to
work.”
"I am appreciative to Governor Blagojevich for taking this step
in assisting the State Board of Education in working to make sure
that all children receive the guidance that is crucial in the early
years of schooling," said Illinois Superintendent of Education Randy
Dunn.
"These grants will ease the burden of schools in their focus on
individualized learning," said Smith, who sponsored the legislation
in the House. "I thank the governor for signing this law that will
make sure that Illinois students receive the attention vital to
enhancing the learning process."
"The governor and I share the same priority that we need to make
it possible for schools to finance smaller classrooms for students
in the beginning stages of education," said Link, Senate sponsor of
the legislation. "Senate Bill 2882 is a step in the right direction
and will allow our teachers to become more effective in reaching
their students. With these dollars, our students will benefit from
classroom interactions with fewer distractions and interruptions in
their learning processes."
"We strongly support this legislation because all credible
studies show that smaller class sizes create an environment
conducive to better teaching and learning," said Ken Swanson,
president of the Illinois Education Association. "We applaud
Governor Blagojevich's leadership in pushing for the creation and
funding of this pilot program, and we hope to see it grow in the
years to come."
In 2005, the average class size in Illinois was 21 in
kindergarten, 21.5 in first grade and 22 in third grade. A sampling
of high-growth districts found that class sizes are much larger than
average in some areas, including 26 kids per kindergarten class in
West Harvey-Dixmoor in the south suburbs, 28 kids per first-grade
class in Plainfield District 202 and 24 kids per third-grade class
in Chicago Public Schools.
Research shows that class size reduction has a number of positive
benefits for both students and teachers. It can result in more
in-depth coverage of each subject, more engaged students, fewer
disciplinary problems and a more personalized relationship between
teacher and student. Kindergarten through third grades are shown to
be most sensitive to the positive effects that are made possible
through smaller class sizes, and nearly half of the states have
begun to reduce those class sizes.
Tennessee's Project STAR, named as an acronym for student-teacher
achievement ratio, began more than 20 years ago with an effort to
put kindergartners in classes of 13-17 students. Studies have
consistently shown that students who had the benefit of those
smaller classes scored higher on achievement tests and were less
likely to drop out or be retained. In fact, students from the
project went on to take more advanced courses in high school and
graduated with higher rankings than those who were in larger classes
in their lower grades.
[to top of second column]
 |
 Wisconsin developed a similar program in 1995. The Student
Achievement Guarantee in Education program, among other initiatives,
required that K-3 classes be reduced to 15 pupils. Students in the
program performed better on every test measure than students without
the benefits the program provided. Additionally, teachers indicated
through questionnaires and interviews that they were able to provide
more individualized instruction to their students and had greater
enthusiasm for their work.
In addition to providing $10 million in grants for class size
reduction, the fiscal 2007 budget, for the fourth consecutive year,
includes a major increase in education funding -- $415 million more
for pre-kindergarten through high school education. The budget also
funds new initiatives proposed by the governor, including universal
preschool and a grant program for families struggling to afford the
high costs of college.
Over four years, Blagojevich dedicated $3.8 billion of new
funding into Illinois schools. This represents more new money
invested in education than any other state in the Midwest, more than
43 other states in the nation and more than any other administration
in one term in Illinois history.
Preschool for All
Preschool for All makes Illinois the only state in the nation to
begin the process of providing access to high-quality preschool for
every 3-year-old and 4-year-old child in Illinois. The program,
which guarantees that in the end approximately 190,000 Illinois
children will have the chance to attend preschool, will reach
working families who are not able to afford the high cost of private
preschool. Funding for preschool programs will increase by $45
million this year, allowing 10,000 more children to get an early
start on their education. Participation in the program for parents
is voluntary.
Students who attend preschool are 20 percent more likely to
graduate from high school, 41 percent less likely to need special
education and 42 percent less likely to be arrested for committing a
violent crime. Studies also show that for every dollar spent on
early childhood education, society saves at least $7 through
decreased reliance on social services.
The Preschool for All legislation,
Senate Bill 1497, was sponsored by Sen. Kimberly Lightford,
D-Westchester, and Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
Helping middle-class families pay for college
Building on his ongoing efforts to make college more affordable
for students and families, Blagojevich provided the Monetary Award
Program with
its largest increase in 10 years, a boost of 10 percent over fiscal
2006, and created a new program to help middle-income families as
well. With a new investment of $34.4 million, Illinois will create
MAP Plus to help middle-class families who don't qualify for the
traditional MAP grants and struggle to afford rising college
tuition costs.
MAP Plus will provide a grant of $500 per student for sophomores,
juniors and seniors from families with incomes less than $200,000
who attend college in Illinois.
An additional increase of $34.4 million will boost MAP grants to
their statutory maximum of up to $4,968, which will help more
students and their parents afford college. In total, 225,000
students will benefit from the creation of MAP Plus and the
additional funding for MAP.
Senate Bill 2225 was sponsored by Sen. Edward Maloney,
D-Chicago, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, D-Orland Park.
Increase for higher education
This year's budget includes a $48 million increase for higher
education. Universities will receive more than $26 million to help
attract and retain the best faculty and increase other school
programs, and community college grants will increase by almost $7
million.
After-school programs
In fiscal 2007, after-school programs will receive a $12 million
increase to provide educational and extracurricular activities for
children after school hours. These programs keep children engaged in
productive activities at times when their parents may still be at
work.
[News release from the governor's
office] |
