Large Class Sizes and Limited Teacher Support Impact Access-Ability and Student Agency

Large Class Sizes & Limited Teacher Support: A Barrier to Access-Ability and Student Agency
Access-Ability means removing barriers so every learner can be seen, supported, and celebrated. But what happens when classrooms are overcrowded, and teachers don’t have enough support?

• Individual needs go unseen. In large classes, students who struggle quietly may not get the help they need.
• Differentiation becomes harder. Teachers want to adapt instruction, but size and workload limit opportunities for small-group learning or personalized feedback.
• Teacher stress increases. Without additional support staff, teachers juggle everything—planning, instruction, behavior—which often leads to burnout.
• Equity gaps grow. Students who need more scaffolding—because of executive functioning challenges, mental health, or learning differences—face the steepest barriers.
• Student agency is diminished. When students feel unseen, they lose confidence that their choices and voices matter. Instead of believing they can influence their own learning, they may disengage, act out, or internalize failure.

When classrooms are too big, access and ability are compromised—not just because of academic barriers, but because students lose the chance to exercise agency in their learning. True access-ability depends on environments where every student is seen, recognized, supported, and empowered to take ownership of their journey.