In general, I hate political ads. They are basically sound bites intended to influence without doing much to inform. Lots of money (thanks Supreme Court) from special interest groups with an agenda often unrelated to the issues in the ads.
Anyway, finally I have found an issue that I can evaluate. By evaluate, I mean I understand the issue and this mostly means I know it is far more complicated than the political figures are willing to admit. The issue is class size. Part of the focus on this topic (I do thank CNN for this insight) is that it is an issue that makes sense to the public and can be used as a way to influence even though it is complicated and details matter. Do not confuse the public with details in a 30 ad spot (or even the 10 minutes that can be devoted on a news program).
CNN videos of their analysis of the class size controversy. CNN transcript.
Here is one you can evaluate for yourself. Go to Google Scholar and “google” class size. I would suggest class size and articles since 2000. Look for reviews or studies in major journals (Journal of Educational Psychology, Review of Education Research, American Educational Research Journal). The focus on major journals means you have allowed editorial boards to evaluate the quality of the papers for you. Other sources may be insightful, but I would start with the journals I mention. Do you want the papers on educational achievement or do you want the articles on economics?
So for example, here is the abstract from Journal of Educational Psychology, 2005, 214-223.
This investigation addressed 3 questions about the long-term effects of early school experiences: (a) Is participation in small classes in the early grades (K-3) related to high school graduation? (b) Is academic achievement in K-3 related to high school graduation? (c) If class size is related to graduation, is the relationship explained by the effect of participation in small classes on students’ academic achievement? The study included 4,948 participants in Tennessee’s class-size experiment, Project STAR. Analyses showed that graduating was related to K-3 achievement and that attending small classes for 3 or more years increased the likelihood of graduating from high school, especially among students eligible for free lunch. Policy and research implications are discussed.
Paraphrased – this study found that smaller classes in the early grades (particularly for students from poorer families) seems to be associated with (note I did not say causes because that would be pushing what the findings indicate) better academic success.
The problem with ads is the ads purposefully avoid specifics. There is always wiggle room because I suppose the statements are accurate in some context with some individuals. You do not get to ask the questions – what would you do in this set of circumstances.
I think this would be a great activity for my educational psychology class. I suppose I might be accused of being too political. Still – is being better informed the same as being political? Is being alerted to the fact that thinking critically part of your responsibility as a citizen (or student) political?
BTW – the statement “I would rather have my kids in a larger class with a great teacher rather than a smaller class with a mediocre teacher” is likely the way an economist might think about the costs of education. Others might ask – can we afford great teachers in classes of reasonable size (if class size matters)?