This collection of essays is intended to give a broad view of what is currently known about the management of classrooms. Contents include "Conceptualizing Classroom Management" by Mauritz Johnson and Harry Brooks; "Making Managerial Decisions in Classrooms" by Walter Doyle; "Authority and the Management of Classroom…

In this comprehensive review, important studies from the literature relevant to the impact of ability grouping on students are summarized. The following are considered: the effect of heterogeneous and homogeneous grouping practices on academic achievement and affective development; the tendency of ability grouping to produce separation of students…

This paper addresses issues in the relationship of instructional grouping to both educational excellence and equity. First, equity issues are considered in light of two court cases: Hobson v. Hansen and Marshall v. Georgia which, together, offer guidelines for equitable ability grouping. Next, the research on the effects of grouping arrangements…

Noting that teachers in mixed-ability classrooms face multiple challenges, this booklet provides teachers guidance in creating learning environments that address the diversity in learning styles typical of mixed-ability classrooms. The booklet discusses what differentiated instruction is, why it is appropriate for all learners, how to plan for and…

Urging educators to abandon the graded system of education, this book advocates the use of a nongraded, continuous approach to education in which students are taught and assessed according to their ability rather than age. The book is divided into 11 chapters. Chapter 1 outlines the history of the graded school movement and argues that conditions…

Even after a desegregation plan has been fully implemented, minority group children may continue to receive unequal treatment in school through the use of common educational practices such as ability grouping and disciplinary measures. These resegregative or "second generation discrimination" practices have an adverse effect on the life…

With new knowledge and tools at their disposal, educators at all levels are exploring alternatives to ability grouping in order to improve schooling for all students. Bringing about positive results requires the development and utilization of knowledge about how ability grouping affects schools, exploration of beliefs that support grouping, and…

Comprising mostly succinct expository statements, guidelines, and charts, this presentation attacks many cultural and educational myths in the areas of the grading and grouping of students at the middle school level. It stresses the importance of understanding what intelligence and academic success really are, and suggests ways in which teachers…

In the spring of 1991, officials from Lamar High School in Houston (Texas) requested a study of their tracking system and its relation to student achievement. This paper reports the results of the evaluation. Many of the courses at Lamar High School are associated with four instructional levels: (1) remedial; (2) regular; (3) college bound; and…

This collection of 15 papers reconceptualizes the problem of failure in schools and describe the interlocking structural arrangements, curricular and instructional practices, and other school conditions that constitute barriers blocking all students' access to knowledge. A new agenda is offered for the national reform movement, an agenda that…

The paper summarizes some educational research findings regarding effective schooling practices. Only those findings which have particular impact on educational program planners in the field of migrant education are discussed. These findings pertain to the following issues: class size, group size, ability grouping, parent participation in…

Preceded by preteleconference activities, this teleconference examines the definitions, history, assumptions, and consequences of tracking as well as barriers to change, restructuring responses to literacy and learning difficulties, effective alternatives to tracking, and specific grouping strategies. The following documents are included: "Keeping…

This booklet describes the status of Sweden's educational system, its development since 1950, and the means for bringing about its reform. The first section gives a brief overview of education in Sweden at the end of the 1970's. The second section is concerned with the last three decades of development of Sweden's educational system, including…

Classroom variables and student track levels were studied to determine the impact of tracking and the resulting differences in student educational experiences. A secondary analysis of nationwide data collected for "A Study of Schooling" was used in an analysis of the classroom experiences of students in 297 secondary school English and mathematics…

The results of different types of reading achievement measures were compared for 58 low-income urban black third graders. Two formal tests were administered: the norm-referenced California Achievement Tests (CAT), and the criterion-referenced Alabama Basic Competency Test (ABCT). Informal measures included the Houghton-Mifflin Informal Reading…