Small Class Sizes

Capital Innovations prides itself on our teacher/student ratio of 1:10. We are firm believers that “small class sizes equal big successes” for our students. Research shows that a class size of fewer than 20 students results in more individualized attention, increased participation, and better communication between the instructors and students. 

Small class sizes lead to more one-on-one attention from the teacher.  Let’s face it: today’s teachers are overworked.  They aren’t paid nearly enough for the chaos that they deal with on a daily basis, and they often end up taking work home with them in the form of papers to be graded or lessons to be planned.  With smaller class sizes, teachers can get to know each student as a person with unique interests and needs. 

Teachers can tailor instruction more individually.  It’s often said that teachers have to teach to the middle of the class.  Anyone below that level has to fend for themselves, often being left behind in the shuffle, and anyone above it spends most of the class period daydreaming while they wait for everyone else to finish learning a concept they figured out ten minutes into the lesson.  No matter which end of the extreme your student falls on, in a small class, the teacher is more likely to be able to tailor the instruction so that it stays on their level. This is why our model of education works so well for students who are ahead of the curve, struggling, or moving at grade level. We meet students where they are, regardless of age, and have served students as young as nine years old in the 6th grade. We formulate a learning plan for each student, specifically customized to the student’s needs based on the input of the student, parents, and teachers.

There’s less disruption.  It doesn’t matter how skilled the teacher is when there are thirty-five students in the classroom.  There are going to be disruptions.  Even the simple act of allowing students to work together on an assignment can lead to chaos as thirty-five voices fill the air–and that’s assuming that the classroom doesn’t come complete with a troublemaker or two.  Worse, in a classroom that large, personality conflicts are more likely to occur, and to occur in extremes.  Discipline begins to take up more of the class period than actual instruction.  In a classroom with fewer students, discipline is needed far less often.