Some physicists may be interested in "A Response to 'It's Not All
About Class Size' " [Hake (2009)]. The abstract reads:
*******************************************
ABSTRACT: Stephen Ceci and Spyros Konstantopoulos in a "Chronicle of
Higher Education" commentary "It's Not All About Class Size" point
out that the new administration needs to be aware that attempts to
fulfill its pledge to narrow the *international* achievement gap
between America and its international competitors by reforms such as
decreasing class sizes might thereby widen the *domestic* achievement
gap that separates black and white, rich and poor. But, in my
opinion, the new administration also needs to be aware that a major
cause of the domestic achievement gap is POVERTY, as forcefully
argued by David Berliner. I submit that:
(a) reduction of poverty in the U.S. might reduce *both* the domestic
and international achievement gaps, since then the learning of *all*
students, not just the advantaged, would be increased by reforms such
as reduction in class size, more effective teachers, and more
effective pedagogy; (b) a more important reason for increasing
student learning than narrowing the international achievement gap is
the need to alleviate the science/math illiteracy of the general
population and thereby lessen the threat to life on planet Earth.
*******************************************