51.   Parents for Classrooms First, a group that supports teachers and their demands for higher salaries and smaller class sizes, presented its proposal at their own town meeting.

52.   Parents see the classes as a plum because they push children to stretch their minds -- and they offer smaller class sizes and more resources.

53.   Part of its attraction to parents is that it is immune to the politics of the Board of Education, which results in benefits like smaller class size.

54.   Parents who accept sacrifices and inconvenience should be able to expect rewards in the form of smaller classes, better maintained buildings and more classroom computers.

55.   Riley said smaller classes are the top priority of security officers in large urban disticts.

56.   Research supports the notion that smaller classes can make a difference in how well students learn in the early primary years.

57.   Recent research in California found students in smaller classes performing slightly better on standardized tests than those in larger classes.

58.   Scholarship families say they seek private schools because of smaller classes, a more orderly atmosphere, more respectful teachers and stronger academics.

59.   Roggenstein and other parents who were surveyed say that smaller classes help teachers stop kids from acting up and draw out children who retreat.

60.   She also cited smaller classes, better benefits and strong mentoring programs.