California's Class-Size Reduction Initiative: Differences in Teacher Experience and Qualifications Across Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if the experience and qualifications of teachers in reduced-size classes, resulting from California's Class Size Reduction Program, varied across schools and, if so, to identify school characteristics that are associated with that variation. The results indicate that teachers in reduced-size classes are less experienced and less qualified and suggest that schools with higher percentages of Hispanic students have reduced-size class teachers with less overall teaching experience and less experience in their current districts. The study also revealed that district characteristics are strongly associated with the experience and credential status of teachers in reduced-size classes. This study, although exploratory, has implications for future research and suggests the need to train teachers in reduced-size classes and to enact policies to equalize a valuable resource-experienced and qualified teachers-across districts and schools.