Argues that the power arrangements existing in schools before integration were the same as those existing after integration, with only the pathways of articulation different. One modality supporting segregation was replaced with another; both were supported by the discursive practice of grouping students by native intelligence. (SLD)

A general equilibrium schooling model shows that greater school efficiency is complementary with more equal opportunity, increased overall learning, more integration, stable teacher salaries, and fewer course preparations per teacher. Transferring students to area schools with curricula suited to their abilities would secure these ends. (Contains…

This paper reviews research on grouping of students within classes and its effects on learning. Primary consideration is given to grouping and mixing students by ability, though consideration is also given to grouping and mixing students by ethnicity and gender as well as to research on the effects of group size. Results of meta-analyses of…

In 1987, the California State Department of Education issued "Caught in the Middle," a state policy document that called for extensive reform of the state's middle schools, including reductions in curricular tracking. Subsequent attempts to reduce tracking have frequently pitted reform-minded educators against resistant parents. This…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of both ability grouping and cooperative training on microcomputer learning at the upper elementary level using both drill and practice and tutorial software programs. A total of 263 grade 5 and 6 students participated in the study. Half of the group was trained on cooperative interpersonal…

This research review summarizes two major sets of meta-analyses on five kinds of ability grouping programs: (1) XYZ classes (high, middle, and low classes); (2) cross-grade grouping; (3) within-class grouping; (4) accelerated classes; and (5) enriched classes. One group of meta analyses concluded that the strongest benefits from grouping were…

This book discusses the anachronistic nature of the graded school structure and the practices that accompany it and proposes the alternative of a nongraded structure. The incompatibility of the graded system with present insights into child development are the the emphasis of the first chapter. Chapter 2 examines the effectiveness of nonpromotion…

A small rural elementary school in Bigelow, Arkansas has developed the Levelized Educational Advancement Program (LEAP) to offset diminished financial resources, limited classroom space, and reduction in professional staff. The program provides individualized basic education for 116 students in grades 4, 5, and 6, and provides daily enrichment…

Since the implementation of educational reform in California in 1981, the Oxnard School District's efforts to improve student achievement have included the following areas of staff development: curriculum revision; proficiency testing for reading, math, and composition; grade promotion and retention standards; and intersession remediation…

When students make the transition from elementary school to junior high school, they experience abrupt organizational changes in their school environment. The hypothesis that social comparison processes mediate the relation between ability grouping practices in mathematics and students' achievement expectancies was tested in a longitudinal sample…

This book is a collection of essays by various authors documenting the development and evaluation of Individually Guided Education (IGE), a planned attempt, involving thousands of scholars and practitioners, to produce more effective elementary schools. Part 1, "An Attempt to Restructure Elementary Schooling," consists of three chapters…

Much interest has been directed toward instructional resources and their effect on student achievement. Results of studies show positive, negative, and no effects of some of these resources on achievement. This paper analyzes the distributions of reading instructional time, materials, and personnel of four New York State school districts with…

Resegregation is the process by which students are separated into racially or ethnically isolated groups within desegregated schools. Resegregation may result from the traditional practice of sorting students into apparently homogeneous groups through ability grouping and tracking and through student selection for compensatory education, special…

GROUP FUNCTIONING AND ACTIVITIES WERE STUDIED IN TWO CONTEXTS, THE LABORATORY AND THE REGULAR SCHOOL CLASSROOM. THE LABORATORY STUDY INVOLVED SMALL GROUP PROBLEM-SOLVING IN ARITHMETIC AND IN SOCIAL STUDIES. STUDIES CONSISTED OF GROUP PERFORMANCE, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS TO GROUP PERFORMANCE, THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF…

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE POTENTIALLY FACILITATIVE AND INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION DURING PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WERE (1) TO IDENTIFY THE PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION CRITICAL TO FACILITATING OR INHIBITING PROGRAMED LEARNING, AND (2) TO DETERMINE THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING WORK GROUPS THAT OPTIMIZES…