Dive Brief:
- Since February, Brenda Scott Academy, a school in Detroit's Education Achievement Authority, has experimented with placing 100 kindergartners in one large classroom called the "Kindergarten Hub."
- The EAA advocates for this model because they say it allows the three teachers in the classroom to divide the students up by skill level.
- Critics of the "Kindergarten Hub" cite research about students, especially lower elementary students, doing better when in smaller class sizes of about 20-24 kids.
Dive Insight:
In the Detroit Free Press article on the "Kindergarten Hub," an interesting trend emerges. More than one person interviewed said they would either not place their own children into such a situation or that it would not necessarily do well in other neighborhoods. This idea of education experimentation with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized students — those from largely minority backgrounds — can leave many feeling uncomfortable.
The large classroom setup is also getting flack for who is running the show. The veteran teacher in the classroom is only 30 years old and the other two teachers are in their first and second years of teaching. The overall lack of experience of those in charge has some wondering how successful such an experiment could be.