Solution identification methods and applications

Classroom Overcrowding

Overview- in the United States, many schools use the teacher-student ratio to "sell" their ability to provide quality education to a broader range of students. Despite the mandates from the No Child Left Behind legislation, more and more schools that face budget cuts, skewed enrollments, and high urban settings are experiencing overcrowding in the classroom. This is a problem that directly affects the quality of a student's education, particularly in the primary grades. In many cases, in fact, the inequalities in the distribution of students, growth of immigrant populations, budgets, teacher shortages in core areas, and geographic/demographic issues, as well as old and run-down facilities contribute to an overcapacity of students with a lack of appropriate resources for educators. The problem is multidimensional -- overcrowding causes students to become bored, potential behavioral problems; teachers are unable to provide proper attention to students who need it, they are overworked, have more papers to correct; and resources like lunch rooms, desks, books, and equipment remain inadequate (the Crisis, 2011).

Additionally, school overcrowding places students at risk for lower achievement scores across the board. Research shows that the higher the student to teacher ration the less likely students are to be attentive, turn in classroom work on time, and express themselves if they do not understand a topic. Many must wait several minutes prior to a teacher or teacher's aide helping them, often leading to disruptive behavior. Students with disabilities are at a clear disadvantage as well since they cannot get the individualized attention they need to succeed. Additional issues show in that students in overcrowded conditions are more likely to experience bullying and violence, with these issues going on for a longer period of time and being unnoticed. From a demographic standpoint, there are more overcrowded classrooms experiencing crisis in poorer communities with larger populations of ethnic minorities (U.S. Department of Education, 2005).

Literature Review/Data- Much of the literature on the subject of overcrowding focuses on the problem, which is endemic and faced by every state of the union, some more seriously than others. Even the New York Times notes that the United Federation of Teachers complained that classroom overcrowding is at a 10-year high and causing distress for students, teachers and administrators (Classroom Overcrowding, 2011).

Some research finds that year-round schooling and mobile classroom use have a positive effect on the issue of overcrowding, albeit that they engender other potential problems. Research confirms that overcrowding has a negative impact on achievement. Using a multi-track, year-round approach does mitigate the situation and can limit the issue of overcrowding, but also tend to moderately hurt achievement. This is likely due to the fact that most school systems and parental expectations are not set up for 12-month schools, and the programs attempted were not long or robust enough to see longitudinal details. Additionally, teacher morale tended to drop in the 12-month program, as well as mobile classrooms, in which both the teacher and the student feel more isolated (McMullen and Rouse, 2012).

Classroom overcrowding is a nationwide epidemic, and appears in the literature for pedagogy, psychology, and classroom management. Too many school systems simply cannot provide the educational services students require. Teachers, though, need to become part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. Working conditions contribute to low-teacher satisfaction and leaving the profession, further damaging a child's ability to actualize with a competent teacher. The government can step in to help these schools, particularly since they mandate certain scores on achievement tests (Walsh, 2007).

The issue is serious enough that it has even resulted in threats of class action suits or other legal action to maintain the right to an appropriate and quality educational paradigm. Psychological problems abound, and a study shows that everyone involved is affected by the problem; often causing discouragement, disenchantment, and either drop-outs from students to teachers changing careers (IUME, 1995).

Strategies - the reality of modern classrooms is that they will, at times, be overcrowded. There are two divergent perspectives for educators when dealing with this issue. On the micro issue, within the classroom, most experts say that overcrowding can be better managed if the instructor is positive, engaging, and committed to teaching with whatever extremes occur. Keeping lessons relevant and interesting, modeling empathy and courteous behavior, and changing the classroom set-up to reflect openness whenever possible will, in the long run, improve many of the general problems engendered by too many students in a class (Green, 2010).

The more engagement from either the parent, para-professional, or teacher, the less the ramifications are from overcrowding. Many researchers recommend dedicated aides in overcrowded situations, so that students can break out into groups that are more skill level appropriate for their learning needs. However, this assumes that paraprofessionals are trained and that there is adequate opportunity for teacher's to engage with any aide or help that might be necessary for their classroom. It is thus important that the teacher continue with a cohesive and robust curriculum, one that the teacher continues to monitor and control, regardless of the number of helpers within the classroom (Global Enrichment, 2010).

Recommendations -- Certainly similarities abound in the literature regarding overcrowding. No one, nor would one expect them to, believes that overcrowding is a good thing for students or teachers. However, sad as it may be, economic realities are such that it is impossible to find blanket funding that would make the problem disappear entirely. There are a number of things, though, that can be done to help alleviate some of the potential issues to classroom overcrowding: