学校效率、教师权益与班级规模的博弈——20世纪美国小班化改革前史-《南京师大学报》（社会科学版）

文章信息/Info

Title:: School Efficiency, Teachers' Rights, and the Struggles for Class Size Reform: A Prehistory of Class Size Reduction in the US in the 20th Century

Keywords:: class size; scientific management; school efficiency; teacher union; collective bargaining

摘要:: 本文考察美国小班化改革潮流兴起之前影响学校班级规模的多方面因素。文章聚焦20世纪20年代和60年代不同利益群体试图改变班级规模的斗争历程。在20年代，高举效率大旗的城市督学在学校经费紧张的情况下，利用班级规模研究的“科学依据”，突破外部机构设定的班级规模上限。在60年代，深受工作条件困扰的教师群体通过教师工会与集体谈判，将班级规模上限写入教师聘用合同，以求缩减班级规模。两组围绕班级规模的博弈揭示了美国学校历史中复杂的权力与利益纠葛，有助于进一步理解过往与当今时代小班化改革所面临的种种冲突。

Abstract:: The article examines multiple forces that shaped class sizes in US schools prior to the late-20th-century class size reduction reform by zooming in on two historical events. In the 1920s, city superintendents who embraced the ethos of efficiency, used “scientific evidence” on the insignificant effects of class sizes to raise size limits and solve economic exigency. In the 1960s, distressed teachers started to unionize, strike and fight for collective bargaining rights, who successfully had class size limits written into their contracts. A review of these historical moments reveals the complex struggles over power and interests in the history of U. S. schooling, helping us further understand the various conflicts faced by past and present efforts towards class size reduction reforms.