In elementary schools today, most students receive their education in a single classroom from one teacher who is responsible for teaching language arts, social studies, math, and science. The self-contained classroom organization is predicated on the assumption that an elementary school teacher is a Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades who is equally strong in all areas of the elementary curriculum. Yet we know intuitively that most classroom teachers are not multi-talented, and that they have no choice but to teach in some areas where they have no fundamental interest. One attempt to address the pitfalls of the self-contained classroom organization is through departmentalization. In this setting, teachers teach in their area of specialization and students move from one classroom to another for instruction.