Composite classes (also known as multigrades) are beneficial in several ways but have challenges for teaching and learning. This study aimed to explore participants' views concerning their experiences in teaching and learning within a composite classroom setting in Samoa. Specifically, the study sought to determine composite classes' impacts on…

This article analyzes the transfer and 15-year policy trajectory of Colombia's "global best practice" "Escuela Nueva in Brazil." This program, initially transferred to Brazil in 1997 with the help of the World Bank, was largely unknown for the first decade of its life span. Then, between 2008 and 2011, "after" the…

This monograph reviews literature on school and class size for its relevance to the concerns of CREATE [Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity]. It estimates the numbers of small schools and numbers of children learning in small schools worldwide. It assesses the implications of school size, large and small, for…

An observational study of 12 mixed-age and 12 single-age Dutch primary reading/language and mathematics classes revealed that time-on-task levels were lower for the mixed-age classes. However, no significant differences in achievement test scores were found. (IAH)

On the basis of a comprehensive best-evidence synthesis of the literature on the effects of multigrade and multi-age classes, Veenman (1995) concluded that there were no significant differences between multigrade and single-grade classes in cognitive or achievement effects. Subsequently, Mason and Burns (1996) challenged Veenman's conclusion,…

Finds that, among 418 students in 8 New Brunswick (Canada) elementary schools, students in multigrade classes and matched peers in single grades 1-5 did not differ significantly in grade points or total achievement test scores. Reports that 27 of 34 teachers surveyed preferred teaching single grade classes. (SV)

Colombia's rural "escuelas nuevas" feature multigrade classrooms, flexible promotion, rural-oriented curriculum, parent and community involvement, mastery learning, peer instruction, and library resources. A study of over 3,000 students found that, compared to traditional schools, Escuela Nueva schools had lower dropout probabilities,…

Multigrade classes have been recognized as part of elementary education for many years, but their special needs have been largely ignored. This manual focuses on the survey research that should predate the design of instructional management strategies in multigrade classrooms. It describes rapid and reliable ways to collect information about the…

This paper synthesizes a study designed to identify the factors that contribute to primary school repetition and dropout in Honduras. Data were collected by record reviews; teacher, student, and parent interviews; and a test of Spanish. The sample included 1,253 students in grades 1 and 3 in 40 schools in rural Honduras. The main findings of the…

Investigated how students and teachers in mixed-age classes spent their learning time during reading, language arts, and mathematics. No significant differences between single- and multi-aged classes was found. Concludes that teachers found working in mixed-age classes very difficult, with most working as if they were teaching two different…

Research on classes that are mixed age by choice, not merely multigraded, has found positive effects on student achievement, mental health, social development, and liking for school. Multiage classes generally have more parent support, but teacher continuity is also necessary for success. Implications and challenges for Australia's rural schools…

A study conducted in 1988 assessed the effectiveness of the multigrade system in providing a primary education at four pilot schools in sparsely populated, rural areas of Zambia. In an attempt to alleviate the problems of financial strain and low enrollment in rural schools, this system combines two or more grade levels into one class taught by…

A school system in Cape Town, South Africa, developed a program called the "Combined Magnet Class" to serve gifted pupils from standards (grades) 3-5 in one classroom. Changes to the standard curriculum were made, and a pupil-determined pace was adopted. The pupils studied English, Afrikaans, and mathematics using a syllabus, for…

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2017), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the…