Calling reductions in class size “critical to fulfilling our mandate to provide a quality education to every child,” Washington State Representative Roger Goodman and State Senator Marko Liias today announced legislation at fully implementing the student-teacher ratios recommended by the Bi-Partisan Quality Education Council.
“We know what the right number of students in each classroom should be, and we know we have to make a significant investment in education,” said Rep. Goodman. “Reducing class size is the right thing to do, and now the time to do it.”
Washington currently ranks 47th out of 50 states in class size. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes reducing class size as one of only four education improvements are proven effective through rigorous, randomized experiments. Studies from California, Tennessee and other states show clear correlation between reducing class size and improving student achievement.
“I know from my own experience that smaller classes and one-on-one attention from teachers can make a difference,” Liias said. “Reducing class size is critically important if we are going to meet our obligation to provide every child a quality education.”
The house bill – HB2589 – was introduced Monday with 24 co-sponsors. The Senate bill was filed Thursday.
Goodman and Liias were joined by Class Size Counts Coordinator Mary Howes and Renton Parent Katherine Jones.
