This monograph consists of 22 reprints of reports published since 1979 in the Middle School Journal's regular column "What Research Says to the Practitioner." Each report synthesizes research studies related to effective implementation of middle school programs and concludes with a list of references. The contents are divided into two main…

Ability grouping, defined as "the practice of organizing classroom groups in a graded school to put together children of a given age and grade who have most nearly the same standing on measures or judgments of learning achievement or capability," is considered in terms of its effect upon students' academic achievement and affective development. It…

Reviews the determinants and selected consequences of academic sorting practices. Concludes that tracking and ability grouping disproportionately affects Black and low-income students by stereotyping them as less intelligent and less able to achieve, which in turn creates low teacher expectations. (FMW)

Analyzes base-year and first follow-up data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 to determine the extent to which African-American, Latino, American Indian, and Asian-American students are maldistributed across curriculum tracks and ability grouped classes relative to their Anglo counterparts. Policy implications of the results…

This collection of papers addresses tracking, whether it should be abolished, the movement toward inclusiveness in schools, strategies to meet all students' needs, and the process of untracking. Contents are as follows: "Why Ability Grouping Must End: Achieving Excellence and Equity in American Education" (Jomills Henry Braddock II and Robert E.…

Public education consists of various levels of laws, policies, regulations, rules, guidelines, and practices based on the U.S. Constitution. At each level, there is a set of "do's and don'ts" guiding the actions of people involved in public education. This handbook, written to help people understand their rights relating to public…

This volume provides recent research findings on important topics related to the still-expanding middle school movement. They are divided into seven parts, addressing teaching/learning, curriculum, teacher education, social context, organization, leaderships, and issues and future directions. Following an introduction to middle level education…

Restructuring of Kentucky's public schools is required if poor and minority children are to be included in school reform. The responsibility for creating schools that serve all children falls to both the state and local school districts. A state level initiative must be combined with local district effort. This report provides recommendations for…

In a sense, public education is like a pyramid of laws, policies, regulations, rules, guidelines, and practices built on a foundation called the U.S. Constitution. At each level, there is a set of "do's and don'ts" that guide the actions of people involved in public education. This handbook, written to help people understand their rights…

Educational testing and its uses have come under increasing criticism as they are used more and more for decision making--to determine student tracking assignments, college admission, personnel selection, and licensing policies. The papers from this conference, which discussed the major issues in testing, include: (1) Testing: A Parent's Point of…

This guide, which is designed for practitioners, contains descriptions of 137 resources concerned with strategies, resources, programs, and research on inclusion, detracking, ability grouping, mainstreaming, and cooperative learning. The entries describing each resource are organized into seven sections: publications, newsletters, journals,…

The "Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Survey" machine-readable data file (MRDF) contains data on the characteristics of student populations enrolled in public schools throughout the United States. The emphasis is on data by race/ethnicity and sex in the following areas: stereotyping in courses, special education, vocational education,…

Historically, lack of access to educational opportunities has been a constant and unfortunate reality for many African Americans. As a result of tracking and ability grouping many African American students lack the necessary accoutrement for persistence in the sciences. Some critical factors for the persistence and success of African American…

The question examined extensively in this document is why socioeconomic status and race are related to academic achievement. While most explanations look to the cognitive or cultural deficiencies of lower class and minority students, this volume considers an alternative explanation. Prevailing definitions of academic achievement undoubtedly…

This collection of papers includes: "Teaching Approaches in Social Studies" (Lisa N. Andries); "Teacher Assigned and Student Generated Writing Topics" (Robert L. Barr, Jr.); "Environmental Knowledge and Concern among High School Students" (Kristin Redington Bennett); "The Use of Primary Sources in the Social…