TY  - JOUR
AU  - Jepsen,Christopher
AU  - Rivkin,Steven
TI  - What is the Tradeoff Between Smaller Classes and Teacher Quality?
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 9205
PY  - 2002
Y2  - September 2002
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w9205
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w9205.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Christopher Jepsen
335BA Gatton B&E Building
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40508
Tel: 859/257-1386
Fax: 859/257-7671
E-Mail: jepsen@uky.edu

Steven G. Rivkin
Department of Economics
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 South Morgan UH725 M/C144
Chicago, IL 60607
Tel: 312.413.2368
E-Mail: sgrivkin@uic.edu
AB  - This paper investigates the effects of California's class size reduction program on teacher quality and student achievement in an effort to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of a large-scale decrease in class size. It uses year-to-year differences in class size generated by natural variation in enrollment and the state's class size reduction program to identify both the direct effects of class size reduction and accompanying changes in teacher quality. The results show that, all else equal, smaller classes raise third-grade mathematics and reading achievement, particularly for lower-income students. However, the expansion of the teaching force required to staff the additional classrooms appears to have led to a deterioration in average teacher quality in schools serving a predominantly black student body. This deterioration partially or, in some cases, fully offset the benefits of smaller classes, demonstrating the importance of considering all implications of any policy change.
ER  -