Ability grouping, which is undemocratic and results in De Facto segregation, is attacked by the author. He cites the pros and the cons as well as references for each position. (MF)

Elitism" is the author's term for avoiding needless pushing of young men and women beyond their levels of intellectual endurance and interest. (Editor/MB)

The author discusses the utilization of small group teaching strategies which offer a unique opportunity to sensitize students to group skills. He believes that small groups provide an environment where the maximum number of students can learn through practice. (Author/KC)

If you administer a middle or junior high school in an old building, the traditional plant need not be a liability. Discusses a cluster organization as a pilot program for seventh grade students entering junior high grades. (Author/RK)

Suggests how a solid program of education, one that has a core curriculum of basics, can be built and still retain the necessary flexibility for fostering creative expression. (Author/RK)

Describes a technique which minimizes the disruptive tendencies and maximizes the learning abilities of the problem child in the classroom environment. (Author/RK)

The authors sought evidence of two basic elements of the "new" social studies programs: reliance on multimedia approaches and flexible grouping for specified tasks. Although some bright spots were evidenced, social studies in the typical middle-grade classrooms surveyed consisted of whole-class instruction with one basic text.…

The author describes the advantages of stratified heterogeneous grouping, a compromise between ability grouping and random grouping which assures students and teachers opportunities to learn and teach that are not inherent in other methods of grouping. (Author/KC)

Describes the difficulties caused by educators holding to a view of teaching that assumes that there is one "pedagogically correct" way of running a classroom. Provides three examples of harmful pedagogical correctness ("untracked" classes, cooperative learning, and testing and test-wiseness). Argues that such dogmatic views of…

Advances the notion that students should be assigned to classes according to the time of day they learn best. (JC)

Notes discrepancies between what middle grade teachers thought they should do and what they were doing as far as grouping practices in reading instruction (both multiple groupings and individualized programs). Indicates the need for more teacher training in how to use objective data when making instructional decisions. (RL)

An attempt is made to examine classification, the sorting or tracking of students in schools, generally premised on their intellectual performance or potential. Emphasis is placed on the misclassification of significant numbers of students which has the effect of denying some students an equal educational opportunity and its importance for…