Smaller groups are positive according to CPB
Smaller groups yield better learning outcomes in primary and higher education. Summer schools and reading eight books during the holidays also visibly improve the school performance of disadvantaged pupils. This is evident from the update of the advice Promising education policy from the Central Planning Bureau (CPB).
Image: Pixabay
Better learning results can also be achieved in primary and secondary education by dividing parallel classes according to the level of the pupils. This also contributes to the economy, but the CPB warns against negative side effects. There is a risk that low-achieving students will no longer be challenged and it is bad for integration.
Elections
The CPB has been publishing the series for years in the run-up to the elections Promising education policy to provide insight into the effects of policy measures. What works and what doesn't work? And what do those measures cost, plus, do they also yield a profit or loss for wages or economic growth in the long term.
With the CPB information, political parties can choose which investments or cutbacks to include in their election program
With the information, political parties can choose which investment measures or cuts to include in their election manifesto. The CPB therefore does not advise what is sensible, but in the background the calculations often guide what parties do. Measures with favorable effects ultimately yield points in the calculation of the total election program.
Trends
For the latest update of the report, the CPB looked at around 150 possible policy measures, from childcare to university. It is not possible to calculate the effects for all measures, but there are clearly visible trends.
Class reduction to a maximum of 21 pupils in primary education works out well
Just like from the SEO Economic Research report for the AOb is coming class reduction to a maximum of 21 students in primary education look good. It provides learning gains and contributes to economic growth. There is a price tag of 990 million euros. The scientific evidence for the positive effect of lowering the teacher-student ratio -from 20 to 17- on colleges and universities is less extensive, but it is present in the form of higher figures, according to the CPB. The costs of this action are 620 million euros. In secondary education, the learning gains from overall reduction to 21 are marginal. When it comes to starting teachers or more intensive language and math education for disadvantaged pupils, learning gains in small groups in secondary education are clearly visible.
In the information leaflets with side effects, the CPB does not mention anything positive or negative about reducing the groups, while other measures do mention the positive effect on the workload of teachers. Surely this also seems to apply to class size reduction.
Workshop Leading
Another trend is the more intensive coaching of starting teachers, which has a very positive effect on the results of pupils and students in all sectors. Coaching of existing teachers also produces good results. The same applies to performance-related pay, but the CPB writes about this in the package leaflet that it can lead to strategic behavior, fraud and less cooperation.
If the basic grant is reintroduced, there will be almost 5 percent more first-years
students
For higher education, the CPB has further examined the effects of measures on student flows. If the basic grant is reintroduced - costs 1 billion euros - there will be almost 5 percent more first-years. The effect of halving tuition fees for courses in technology, healthcare and education professions is still unknown. Relatively cheap, 15 million euros, is the abolition of the expensive rate for a second master. The effect of this is great and it results in 5 percent more registrations for second masters.
Also read: Small class better for student and economy
