The crisis in NYC class sizes & threat to student privacy

Class Size Matters

Citywide analysis 2013

Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters

Why is class size important?• Class size reduction one of 4 reforms proven to work through

rigorous evidence, acc. to Inst. Education Sciences, research arm of US Ed Dept. *

• Benefits esp large for disadvantaged & minority students, very effective at narrowing the achievement gap.

• NYC schools have largest class sizes in state;

• 2003, NY’s highest court said students denied constitutional right to adequate education in part due to excessive class sizes (Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision).

• 86% of NYC principals say cannot provide a quality education because of excessive class sizes.

• Smaller classes top priority of parents on DOE learning environment surveys every year.

• *Other three K-12 evidence-based reforms, are one-on-one tutoring by qualified tutors for at-risk readers in grades 1-3, Life-Skills training for junior high students, and instruction for early readers in phonemic awareness and phonics.

Stagnant achievement in NYC schools under Bloomberg

• NYC students have fallen further behind their peers in other large cities, according to national assessments (NAEPs), coming in 2nd to last in progress since 2003;

• NYC also only large district where non-poor students have lower NAEP average scores than in 2003.

•  Only 21% of NYC HS grads are considered “college ready”; 13 – 15% of Black and Hispanic students;

• Students needing triple remediation* at CUNY have doubled in last 5 years.

* Triple remediation means make-up classes in reading, writing & math.

Contracts for Excellence

• In April 2007, NY State settled the Campaign for Fiscal decision by passing the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) law.

• State agreed to send billions in additional aid to NYC & other high needs school districts; to spend in six approved areas, including class size reduction.*

• In addition, NYC had to submit a plan to reduce class size in all grades.

• In 2007, the state approved DOE’s plan to reduce class sizes on average to 20 students per class in K-3; 23 in grades 4-8 and 25 in core HS classes.

• In return, NYC has received more than $2.5 billion in cumulative state C4E funds since 2007.

*other allowed programs include Time on Task; Teacher & Principal Quality; Middle & HS Restructuring; Full-Day Pre-K; & Model Programs for English Language Learners

City’s class sizes have risen sharply in all grades since 2007…esp. in K-3; now largest in 14 yrs!

Baseli

ne

2007

-200

8

2008

-200

9

2009

-201

0

2010

-201

1

2011

-201

2

2012

-201

318

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

2120.7

20.520.3

20.119.9 19.9

21 20.9

21.4

22.1

22.9

23.9

24.4560996563574

Average class size K-3(gened, ICT & G&T)

C4E Target

Citywide Actual

Avg

. C

lass

Siz

e

This year’s class size data is available at http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/classsize/classsize.htm *All class size figures calculated averaging Gen.Ed, CTT and G&T November reporting.

1998

/199

9

1999

/200

0

2000

/200

1

2001

/200

2

2002

/200

3

2003

/200

4

2004

/200

5

2005

/200

6

2006

/07

2007

/08

2008

/09

2009

/10

2010

/11

2011

/12

2012

/13

18.0

19.0

20.0

21.0

22.0

23.0

24.0

25.0

26.0

24.9

23.2

22.422.1

21.7 21.621.3

21.1 21.1 20.9

21.4

22.1

22.9

23.9

24.5

K-3 Class Sizes largest since 1998 (data sources: IBO 1998-2005; DOE 2006-12)

What happened in K-3

2007

-200

8

2008

-200

9

2009

-201

0

2010

-201

1

2011

-201

2

2012

-201

3265000

270000

275000

280000

285000

11400

11600

11800

12000

12200

12400

12600

12800

13000

268100269097

275323

277878

280941

28466912804

12619

12451

12109

11758

11640

K-3 sections dropped consistently each year as student pop grows steadily

Total Stu-dents

Total Sections

To

tal

Stu

den

ts

Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Bronx Staten Island21.5

22

22.5

23

23.5

24

24.5

25

25.5

26

24.2

23.1

25.4

24.2

25.1

2012-13 average K-3 class size by borough

No. of Kindergarten students in very large classes has increased sharply

• This year 45% (29797) of Kindergarten students in classes of 25 or more (25 is UFT contractual max);

• In 2010, for 1st time since 2000, there were more K students in classes of 25 or more than in classes of 20 or less;

• In 2011, for 1st time since 1999, there were as many K students in classes of 20 or less (C4E goals) than in classes HIGHER than 25.

Almost half of all K students are now in classes of 25 or more

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

17

20

26

33

42

45

% Kindergarten students in classes of 25 or more

K students in classes of 25 or more by borough

Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Bronx Citywide0

10

20

30

40

50

60

14 14

23

17

27

17

41

34

4947

53

45

% of Kindergarten students in classes of 25 or more

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

58%

39%

20%

7%9%

20% 21%

17%

20%

33%

42%

45%

8%9%

23%

33%

40% 41%

38% 37%40%

38%

27%

24%

16%

12%

45% of Kindergarten students this year in classes of 25 or more

% at 25 or more

% at 20 or less

% G

en E

d a

nd

CT

T K

ind

erg

arte

n s

tud

ents

Also in grades 4-8, class sizes have continued to increase far above C4E goals

Baseli

ne

2007

-200

8

2008

-200

9

2009

-201

0

2010

-201

1

2011

-201

2

2012

-201

321

22

23

24

25

26

27

25.6

24.824.6

23.8

23.3

22.9 22.9

25.6

25.125.3

25.8

26.326.6 26.67055707309

Average class sizes 4-8gened, ICT & G& T

C4E Target

Citywide Actual

Axis Title

4-8th grade class sizes largest in 9 years

1998

/199

9

1999

/200

0

2000

/200

1

2001

/200

2

2002

/200

3

2003

/200

4

2004

/200

5

2005

/200

6

2006

/07

2007

/08

2008

/09

2009

/10

2010

/11

2011

/12

2012

/13

23.5

24.0

24.5

25.0

25.5

26.0

26.5

27.0

27.5

28.0

28.5

28.1

27.5

27.227.4

27.0

26.726.4

25.925.7

25.1 25.2

25.8

26.3

26.626.7

4-8 Class Sizes largest since 2004 (data sources:IBO1998-2005; DOE 2006-12)

What happened in 4-8th grades?

2007

-200

8

2008

-200

9

2009

-201

0

2010

-201

1

2011

-201

2

2012

-201

3310000

312000

314000

316000

318000

320000

322000

324000

326000

328000

330000

332000

334000

12000

12200

12400

12600

12800

13000

13200

327847

325198326450 326308

325160

322207

13047

12883

12614

1244412247

12081

Grades 4-8 Sections drop each year while student popula-tion decreased only slightly

Total Students

Total Sec-tions

To

tal

Stu

den

ts

Also in HS: citywide average class sizes have risen

2007

-08

2008

-09

2009

-10

2010

-11

2011

-12

2012

-13

23.0

23.5

24.0

24.5

25.0

25.5

26.0

26.5

27.0

27.5

26.1

26.626.8 26.9 27.0 27.0

26 25.7

25.2

24.8

24.5 24.5

26.126.2

26.626.5

26.426.2822235421829

High School Class Sizes vs CFE Goals (DOE High School data inconsistent and unreliable)

Nov. Class Sizes*

C4E goals

Feb. Class Sizes

*There is no November reporting for the 2007-08 year, data used is from Feb. report

Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Bronx Staten Island23

24

25

26

27

28

29

26.3

25.4

27.8

25.9

28.6

2012-13 average 4-8 class size by borough

Why is this important?

• When Bloomberg first ran for office, promised that he would reduce class size in grades K-3 to 20 or less.

• Recent study shows that students in smaller classes in K are more likely to graduate from college, own home and have 401K3 more than 20 years later.*

*Raj Chetty et. al. “How Does your Kindergarten classroom affect your earnings?  Evidence from Project Star,” NBER Working Paper 16381

Ways that DOE has worked AGAINST reducing class size

• Since 2007, DOE has cut school budgets 14%– contradicting C4E prohibition against supplanting.

• In 2010, DOE eliminated Early grade class size funding– despite promise in C4E plan to keep it.

• In 2011, DOE decided no longer to cap class sizes in 1st-3rd grades at 28, leading to tripling of class sizes 30 or more in these grades.

• In 2012, DOE instructed principals to accommodate special needs students up to contractual class size maximum.

• DOE has never aligned either “Blue Book” formula or capital plan to goals in class size plan, as required by state law.

CFE funding also flat-lined; but even when increased; city’s class sizes grew!

2006

-07

2007

-08

2008

-09

2009

-10

2010

-11

2011

-12

2012

-13

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

$0

$258

$645 $645

$531 $531

21 20.9

21.4

22.1

22.9

23.9

24.5

21

20.720.5

20.320.1

19.9 19.9

C4E spend-ing (in mil-lions)

K-3 av-erage class sizes

C4E class size goals

do

llars

(in

mill

ion

s)

Cla

ss

Siz

e A

vg

s.

Loss of teachers while DOE had other priorities

• Number of pedagogues (mostly teachers) has been cut by more than 5,000 since 2007, despite rising enrollment. *

• Smallest # pedagogues in 2011 employed by DOE since 2003.

• Largest # non-pedagogues in 2011 employed since at least 1980.

• Highest % of non-pedagogues to pedagogues since 1993.  

• Spending on testing, contracts, consultants, and more bureaucrats have all risen sharply.

(*Data source: Office of Management Budget headcounts, through IBO)

But can we afford to reduce class size?

• In 2009, DOE estimated that it would cost $358 million per year to achieve average C4E class size goals across the city;

• DOE estimated it would cost $448 million per year in staffing to achieve class size goals in ALL schools; plus more in capital costs for school construction.

• This year, NYC received more than $530 million in C4E funds.

Other questions re city’s C4E plan

• Why did the DOE not centrally devote ANY C4E funds to class size reduction, given its legal obligation to lower class size?

• DOE finally posted C4E plan for this year only in Feb., and holding hearings now, though funds mostly spent, making mockery of public feedback and process required in law.

• Is DOE’s C4E plan for last year (2011-12) yet approved by the state ? If so, where is it posted?

NYS & NYC also violating student privacy and parental rights

• 9 states/districts including NYS sharing confidential student and teacher data with inBloom Inc., private corporation funded by Gates Foundation.

• Data includes student names, grades, test scores, disciplinary & attendance records, race /ethnicity, economic status, disability and health issues.

• Data will be stored in a massive electronic data bank, built by Wireless Generation, run by Joel Klein & owned by Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation.

• NewsCorp found to illegally spy and/or violate privacy in UK and US.

 

Then what?

• inBloom, Inc. plans to put this sensitive data on a cloud run by Amazon.com and transmit it to for-profit companies to help them develop and market their “learning products.”

• In recent survey, 86% of IT experts say they do not trust clouds to hold their organization’s sensitive data.

• In its security policy, inBloom Inc. states they “cannot guarantee the security of the information stored in inBloom or that the information will not be intercepted when it is being transmitted.’

• All this is happening without parental notification or consent.

Sample data to be shared with inBloom, Inc.