As a senior at Patrick Henry High School, I've noticed that the greatest problem facing public schools is large class size. For
the past three years, certain circumstances have allowed me to attend smaller classes in English and history. Now the pilot program
is over, and I am once again enrolled in regular-size classes. Comparing the former experience with my current situation, in
which my English class is comprised of more than 40 students, the advantages of smaller classes become readily apparent. In my
current English class, effective teaching and learning have been sacrificed to the administrative advantage of fewer classes
holding greater numbers of students. Although in terms of test scores the class has been deemed successful, stu
participation in such a large class is limited to a select few; individual conferences with the teacher are hard to get due to the
sheer number of students; and papers take weeks to get graded. In smaller classes, however, it has been my experience that all
students participate, classes are more focused and on task, and the teacher develops a closer relationship to the students. These
factors allow students to learn and develop their abilities. They also allow teachers to effectively critique their students' work.
Moreover, in small classes, students can develop working relationships with one another-a camaraderie nonexistent in larger
classes. If the public school system were to cut class size in half, to approximately 15 to 20 students each, the benefits would
manifest themselves immediately. If we wish to improve the level of education in public schools today, we must reduce class
size.
What could function as a counter-claim to this writer's argument?
A)evidence that some teachers prefer larger classes
B)evidence that smaller classes create competition between students
C)evidence that larger class sizes are actually beneficial to learning
D)evidence that larger and smaller classes each have their own set of
challenges
