Explores relationships among student performance prior to instruction, problems students are assigned and performance after instruction in fourth-grade mathematics. Results indicate that assigning challenging materials may lead to notable gains on test of fourth-grade mathematics. Discusses implication of results for possible modification of…

Presents a theoretical analysis of how class conditions such as textbook organization and content, compositional characteristics of classes, instructional time and teachers' beliefs can influence the mathematics content that teachers introduce. Looks at implications for further study of teacher decision making, textbook content, and organization.…