Size Matters for EFA

Abstract

This monograph reviews literature on school and class size for its relevance to the concerns of CREATE. It estimates the numbers of small schools and numbers of children learning in small schools worldwide. It assesses the implications of school size, large and small, for learning outcomes, costs and for social equity. It outlines how policy 'issues' of size, large and small, are constructed and presented in a range of education systems. It identifies the curriculum, teaching and learning issues associated with small schools and examples of good practice and discusses the evidence on learning outcomes in small, multigrade schools. It synthesises the research on class size, large and small, in developed and developing countries, and identifies its relevance for EFA Goals 2, 5 and 6. Finally, the monograph draws implications for on-going and future CREATE studies, in particular the Community and School studies in Bangladesh, Ghana and India