A review of the literature on the relationship between ability grouping and student achievement reveals that most researchers have found that homogeneous grouping does not significantly affect achievement. A few studies attempted to relate student achievement to teacher ability and instructional strategies; however, they found no significant…

A meta-analysis of findings from 31 separate studies showed that ability grouping has significant positive effects on the academic performance of elementary school children. The benefits of grouping tended to be small in the typical study of achievement --an increase from the 50th to the 58th percentile for the typical student in a grouped class.…

Examined the class distributional properties of 200 elementary school classes in 2 school districts. Fifty-six classes were combination classes of students from 2 grades. Principals and teachers tended to assign higher ability and more independent students to such classes, and these assignments affected the class distributional properties.…

Discussing research on the effects of developmental differences, task characteristics, teacher feedback, and classroom management and organization on children's perceptions of their abilities, this article speculates on whether and how these perceptions influence children's behavior. (Implications of this research for classroom practice are also…

Surveys were conducted to investigate contemporary thought regarding organizational practices at the elementary level, with particular attention to identifying the extent to which departmentalization was supported by research and actually employed in 24 elementary schools in the Midwest and in 41 Des Moines elementary schools. Four committees…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether collective bargaining significantly affects teacher time, particularly time spent in instruction and preparation. The study was based on recent research indicating that student achievement is affected by the time teachers spend in these areas. Researchers divided the activities performed by…

Discusses results of a three-year investigation of personal, social and academic adjustment by learning disabled students. Concludes that younger children in self contained classrooms achieve more academic and personal success than older ones and those in mainstreamed classes. Identifies five critical factors affecting educational outcomes with…

Using empirical evidence from 48 classrooms, argues that structural and organizational factors affect the stability and the formation of ability groups in an elementary classroom, which in turn affect growth in academic achievement. Holds that teachers are often impeded from forming the types of groups most conducive to student learning. (CMG)

This ERIC digest reviews the history of the multigrade classroom, and summarizes research findings on multigrading effects on achievement and attitude. It also states requirements of teaching and learning in multigrade classrooms. Multigrade classrooms have ranged from the one-room schools of the early 1900s to the ungraded classroom of the 1960s…

The Classroom Organization Study, conducted in Austin, Texas, was designed to answer some very specific questions about establishing and maintaining classroom organization in low socioeconomic status elementary schools that results in greater student time on task, exposure to content, and achievement. The ultimate purpose of the study was to…

The effects of multi-age grouping on achievement and self-concept were studied. The achievement variables examined were reading and mathematics achievement as measured by the Stanford Achievement Tests. The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was used to measure self-concept. The groups studied consisted of single-age and multi-age…

Three conclusions were drawn about within-class grouping after reviewing the work of several researchers on the following topics: teacher and student behavior, academic achievement, perceptions about reading groups, social class membership and reading group assignment, and the role of group cohesiveness. The conclusions were that: (1) although the…

This study addresses the issue of how different school organizational patterns affect the academic learning of students of different backgrounds and abilities. Using data from the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) on approximately 8,000 sixth-grade students in elementary and middle schools, the study examines how instructional…

Designed as a comprehensive district-wide elementary education program, the Directed Learning Program, funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is meant to encourage learning at an individual rate related to achievement ability rather than to age. The basic for instruction is the home base group in which students…

Employs data from 94 elementary schools to examine the prevalence and effects of resegregation. Reports that (1) positive attitudes toward integration influence teachers' selection of grouping practices that promote student interaction; and (2) less resegregative classroom structures are more advantageous for Black students' achievement. (KH)