David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

matters far more than the size of the
class. A great teacher can teach your
child a year and a half’s material in one
year. A below-average teacher might
teach your child half a year’s material in
one year. That’s a year’s difference in
learning, in one year. That suggests that
there is much more to be gained by
focusing on the person at the front of the
classroom than on the number of people
sitting in the classroom. The problem is
that great teachers are rare. There simply
aren’t enough people with the
specialized and complex set of skills
necessary to inspire large groups of
children year in, year out.