[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 147 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12381-S12382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama, and Mr. 
        Sanders):
  S. 2122. A bill to amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 to reduce class size through the use of highly 
qualified teachers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I am pleased today to join my colleague, 
Senator Murray, in introducing legislation--the Facilitating 
Outstanding Classrooms Using Size Reduction (FOCUS) Act of 2007--that 
will provide $2 billion in funding to help, States and school districts 
hire 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size, particularly in the 
early grades.
  When a teacher is responsible for a classroom of 25, 30, or more 
students, how can we expect each student to receive enough time and 
attention? One pillar of our education system should be small classes. 
The body of research around class size has consistently shown that 
smaller classes improve student performance, including reading and 
mathematics, in the early grades as well as in subsequent years when 
students are placed in larger classes. Research also shows that at the 
end of fifth grade, students who were in small classes in first through 
third grades were about half a school year ahead of students from 
larger classes in all core subjects--reading, language arts, math, and 
science. Additionally, studies have found that students from small 
classes earn better grades in high school, take more advanced courses, 
and are more likely to take college-entrance exams. They are also more 
likely to graduate from high school than students in larger classes.
  Small classes also enable teachers to teach better. Any teacher will 
tell you that small classes make a difference. Small classes allow 
teachers to spend more time on instruction, get to know their students 
better, spend less time on discipline problems, and better identify 
students who need individually tailored assistance. The difference 
between teaching large classes and teaching small classes is 
substantial, and the pedagogy required for each differs.
  I have stood with Senator Murray on previous legislation to reduce 
class size in our Nation's schools, and I am proud to stand with her 
again today in support of a class size reduction bill. The bill we 
offer today strengthens our earlier efforts to reduce class size. 
First--the FOCUS Act would provide a dedicated funding stream for class 
size reduction. The No Child Left Behind Act incorporated the Class 
Size Reduction Program into title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act. The Murray-Biden FOCUS Act would create a separate 
funding stream in title V for the class size reduction initiative--
ensuring that efforts to reduce class size would not have to compete

[[Page S12382]]

for funding with a broad array of other teacher and administrator 
professional development and training funds.
  Another provision that has been added are instructions that States 
and schools districts allocate their funding in a manner that creates a 
continuum of small classes for students as they progress from 
kindergarten to third grade and beyond. Research has shown that the 
benefits of attending small classes are the greatest for students in 
kindergarten through third grade, with further benefits accruing to 
those students for each additional year spent in small classes. The 
ultimate goal is that a student in the kindergarten grade matriculates 
through first, second, and third grades--each with an average class 
size of 18 students or less.
  The bill also establishes a Web-based National Clearinghouse on Class 
Size that would provide research, best practices, and resources for 
small classroom instruction. This information needs to be broadly 
available and easily accessible to the education community as well as 
the public.
  Additionally, the legislation requires an independent evaluation to 
be conducted to determine the impact and effectiveness of the 
initiative and the National Center for Education Statistics to report 
on average class size data. It is imperative that we understand, 
objectively, how these funds are spent, and what outcomes are achieved.
  Mr. President, the ultimate success of our education system depends 
on teachers. Ask any teacher if it matters whether they are teaching a 
class of 18 students or 25 students and you will get the same answer 
every time: absolutely. Smaller classes will provide teachers with the 
resources they need to create the opportunities for learning that our 
students deserve.
                                 ______