Sycamore Taxpayer

The following excerpt is from chapter 5, The Efficient Use of Teachers by Steven F. Wilson in the book, Stretching the School Dollar, page 133.

Initiative
2. Eliminate teacher aides above first grade

By eliminating teacher aides in all classes above first grade, Bellview (Public Schools) could save $6.4 million annually. Eliminating teacher aides (except in special education, kindergarten, and first grade, where they play an important role in helping students adapt to formal instruction) is a sensible additional savings initiative. The STAR experiment found only minimal achievement benefits from placing aides in classes; above the first grade, any effect was statistically insignificant.*

* Elizabeth Word, John Johnston, and Helen Bain, Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR), Tennessee’s K-3 Class Size Study; Final Summary Report, 1985-1990 (Memphis: Tennessee Department of Education, 1990), 11.