The number of multiage educational programs in the United States is relatively small, though they are very popular in many other countries. This paper presents arguments in favor of multiage groupings (e.g., student-teacher continuity, alternatives for special needs students, and viable alternatives to retention), offering advice from the…

Despite promising research findings and enthusiastic participants, multiyear teacher/student relationships remain uncommon in U.S. schools. The multiyear approach offers great potential for summertime learning. Ambitious pilot programs in Attleboro and Worcester, Massachusetts, and West Bloomfield, Minnesota, are briefly described. (MLH)

A former student reminisces about attending the Organic School in Fairhope, Alabama, in the 1950s. Founded in 1903, the school pioneered child-centered education; had multigraded classes; incorporated dance, pottery, weaving, and art into the curriculum; and was guided generally by the philosophy that education is not preparation for life, but…

Credited with creating a sense of community within a junior high is this project bringing together sixth, seventh, eighth graders for a schoolwide study of the 1940s. Teams composed of staff and students from all grades were assigned subtopics that were explored and shared through a variety of activities. (MJL)

Small, sometimes multi-cultural, rural schools need specialized preservice teacher education programs to prepare teachers. After outlining the classroom, school, and sociocultural characteristics affecting a teacher's success and survival in a rural community, this paper discusses the apparent lack of rural content in teacher preparation programs…

This paper describes a summer remedial program for third- and fifth-grade students administered by Valdosta State University in Georgia. The program utilizes a multi-age, multi-ability, thematic, and full-inclusion approach. Assessment of the program was based on data collected through interviews with 18 students and a survey of 28 parents. Both…

Illustrates flexible grouping configurations, discussing how different perspectives and theories of peer learning are required to account for their intended effects. A classroom example is provided to illustrate each context discussed. The article also presents examples of an instructional strategy in one multiage classroom where the teachers…

Discusses the use of computers in elementary and secondary school mathematics instruction. Topics addressed include the use of computers in compiling student portfolios; a model shift regarding assessment, mathematics instruction, and computers; computer software programs; and new approaches to teaching, including cooperative learning, multigrade…

Examines the special characteristics of small rural schools and stresses the importance of programs preparing teachers to teach in rural areas. Describes a program at Bishop University that provides preservice and inservice education for rural educators in Quebec. Includes additional suggestions for meeting the professional development needs of…

Describes the Saturn School of Tomorrow, which was developed in the St. Paul (Minnesota) Public Schools to incorporate current technology into instruction for grades four through eight. Topics discussed include building design; Personal Growth Plans; the use of integrated learning systems (ILS) for individualized learning; group interaction;…

Six teachers from small and rural schools throughout the Northeast were selected as the 1990-91 Laboratory Fellows by the Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands. These teachers were chosen for their exceptional strategies for incorporating multilevel grouping in their classrooms, grades 6-12. This publication…

In this collection, nine master teachers with extensive experience in small, rural Alaska schools describe classroom management techniques that have proven effective in their multigraded classrooms. Over half the document consists of one paper, the last in the volume, entitled "More like a School Family than Just a Teacher and His or Her…

An Australian preservice teacher education course used interactive television to present real-life, rural teaching situations as examples of best practice. These were integrated with problem-based learning scenarios focusing on dilemmas faced by practicing teachers in multigraded rural classrooms. Evaluation revealed positive feedback from both…

The TeleLearning and Rural Education Centre was established in January 1997 at Memorial University of Newfoundland, in one of the most sparsely populated and economically depressed areas of Canada. Of 462 schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, 66 percent are rural and over half have enrollments of under 200 students. The Centre was established to…

Provides examples of schools and districts nationwide that use data-based decision making effectively to enhance beginning teacher induction, multi-age reading classes, literacy education, tracking of student achievement, ongoing staff development, and school discipline efforts. The programs share a commitment to putting data at the center of…