Before spending more on teachers, it’s worth asking what really makes classrooms harder to teach

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Is it harder to teach a class with 20 students in it, or one with 30 students in it?

If you aren’t familiar with public school classrooms, you will likely assume that the class with 30 students is more difficult to teach than the class with 20 students. But the real answer to this question is far from obvious.

That’s because a wide range of factors must be considered. For example, suppose that the choice is between a split Grade 4-5 class of 20 students and a single Grade 5 class of 30 students. While the split class has fewer students in it, the teacher will need to cover two separate levels of curriculum material, and this entails a whole lot of extra preparation time.

Imagine also that the class of 20 students includes seven students with individual education plans (IEPs), four English as an additional language (EAL) students, and three students who have serious behavioural challenges. Meanwhile, the class of 30 students consists of a relatively homogeneous group who come from stable homes and are all generally at the same academic level.

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