Reducing Class Size: More Cost-effective Than Medical Interventions

This research has got to be of interest to all of us interested in public policy and social welfare. "The study shows that a student graduating from high school after attending smaller-sized classes gains an average of 1.7 quality-adjusted life-years and generates a net $168,431 in lifetime revenue. 'Higher earnings and better job quality enhance access to health insurance coverage, reduce exposure to hazardous work conditions, and provide individuals and families with the necessary resources to move out of unfavorable neighborhoods and to purchase goods and services,' says Peter A. Muennig, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School. 'Regardless of class size, the net effect of graduating from high school is roughly equivalent to taking 20 years of bad health off of your life.' When targeted to low-income students, the estimated savings would increase to $196,000 per additional graduate. 'This is because low-income students seem to benefit more from the additional attention afforded by small classes,'"
Of course, like the research showing positive correlations between higher education and better overall health outcomes and more liberal social viewpoints, there may be issues about whether this is relative in such a way that it would not scale up to a whole population. That said, the above quote does suggest targetted intervention could be even more effective. However, then there are the issues around parents choosing schools, private education and the fact that public money is in different pots...

ScienceDaily: Reducing Class Size May Be More Cost-effective Than Most Medical Interventions: