This study represents a collaborative school university partnership. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors report on the motivational and psychological consequences of students choosing their groupmates in cooperative learning triads. 139 students in five science classes participated in this study. Classes were randomly assigned to condition:…

Two studies explored the experience and performance of students at Williams College in three-person groups that were homogeneous or heterogeneous in rated academic ability. In accord with hypotheses from Festinger's (1954) social comparison theory, students in academically homogeneous groups had more positive experiences and performed better on…

In an ethnographic study of three recently desegregated junior high schools, the pressures placed upon teachers by students in different academic tracks were analyzed. Students in each track were grouped homogeneously in terms of race, social class and academic performance. The methodology of this study consisted of utilizing students' responses…

Most research on small group learning has focused on achievement, but few studies have systematically investigated the effects of group processes on achievement, or the influences of individual aptitudes and group composition on group processes. To investigate the relationship between student aptitudes, group process, and achievement in…

Many secondary teachers perceive a wide range of studennt ability levels within a class as a constraint on effective teaching and classroom management. This study was conducted to determine which levels of teaching effectiveness, which learning environments, and which classroom management problems were associated with very heterogeneous classes,…

ACTIVITIES OF RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION UNITS IN TWO MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DURING THE 1966-67 SCHOOL YEAR ARE REVIEWED. RESULTS OF TWO CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED IN THE UNITS ARE REPORTED AND EVALUATED. IN ONE STUDY THE PERFORMANCE OF 82 THIRD GRADE PUPILS FROM ONE SCHOOL HOMOGENEOUSLY GROUPED FOR ARITHMETIC INSTRUCTION WAS…

Explains why Detroit (Michigan) is abandoning plans to establish all-male urban schools and will allow girls to attend three academies originally proposed to help keep African-American males from dropping out of school. Issues of educational equity are discussed. As redesigned, the schools will emphasize African-American culture and history. (SLD)

Individual and focus group interviews with 49 third-grade regular and special education teachers revealed that teachers value control over their decisions on grouping for reading instruction. Regular teachers reported they preferred whole class and mixed ability grouping arrangements for social and academic reasons, whereas special educators…

This chapter reviews recent trends toward increasing emphasis on excellence in American business and applies these trends to school reform and restructuring in the context of gifted education. First, it notes the main ideas of recent business and education excellence studies which call for radical changes in the American education system. Examined…

This study investigated elementary school teachers' perception of their first grade students' interest in multicultural trade books. The study participants included 151 first graders, 17 experienced teachers, and 65 preservice teachers. The study used 15 multicultural trade books and 15 non-multicultural books matched as closely as possible in…

Development of an evaluation instrument for the church sponsored Community Change Training Institute (CCTI) resulted in a pre-post test instrument involving measures of meaning, vocabulary, involvement in community action, and personality. Fisher's technique computed the pre-post scores of 108 persons in CCTI groups in Missouri, Ohio, and Hawaii.…

An anxiety scale was administered to fifth- and eighth-grade students in West Germany immediately after and three years after placement in a high, low, or middle school track based on achievement. Findings from this investigation are related to reference group theory. (Authors/CJ)

Describes study that compared the achievement of high and low ability eighth-grade students working cooperatively during computer-based instruction. Homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping based on ability are explained, posttest results are analyzed, and implications for instructional design are discussed. (23 references) (Author/LRW)

Describes two schools proposed by the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) school board to focus on the needs of young African-American males. Although these schools would not exclude other races and females, they would consciously and systematically connect total schooling to the African-American heritage for young males. (SLD)

This Special Report surveys existing conditions for Latino [superscript 1] language minority students in Indiana's schools and identifies the most significant problems and challenges for improving their learning. The report opens with an overview of recent demographic shifts in Indiana's K-12 student population, and makes an important distinction…