As I learned about the middle school restructuring, it seemed to me that some of the teaming and other MS features were cut back in order to keep class sizes down. I asked a friend, a middle school teacher in Ann Arbor: "What about smaller class sizes, I thought research indicated that smaller class sizes are better?"

My friend’s response was: “Certainly teachers want small class size, but at what price? If we were to lose three staff members and increase class size, we could continue to have block scheduling, teams, offer an additional elective, and the advisory period. With smaller class size we would keep three teachers but lose block scheduling, teams, and the elective and advisory periods. My own hunch is that we will eventually have larger classes anyway, and also lose all of the scheduling, teaming, and elective offerings that make a school a true 'middle school. I don't think administrators will ever radically increase class size because the AAPS would lose too many more customers (students)."

Please also see the related discussion in this forum on middle school restructuring [1].