Examines the efforts of an elementary school in Iowa to combine Basic School and multi-age instruction. Quotes from teachers to describe how (trying not just to educate children but to teach them how to manage their own education) the school's curriculum is structured around big ideas and broad concepts that provide multiple entry points for the…

This paper discusses three issues relating to teacher certification in Kentucky. These issues are: (1) certification of teachers who work with children under the age of 6 years; (2) preparation of teachers for primary education; and (3) alternative certification. The first issue raises questions of whether Kentucky should require certification for…

Discusses the organization and operation of multi-age classrooms in an elementary school in Nevada. Describes how teachers working with primary classrooms of first and second graders, and intermediate classrooms of third, fourth, and fifth graders, created an adaptive, flexible, and dynamic curriculum that could serve the needs of their…

High-quality family child care and school-age programs have characteristics to promote positive relationships among families and children that enhance children's development and family functioning, much like the thriving neighborhoods of previous generations. These characteristics include choice and variety, environments emphasizing safety and…

Minority responses to mainstream schooling have been characterized as ranging from assimilation to resistance. Based on a three-year ethnographic study, this article suggests that such a continuum is inadequate for interpreting the longevity and vibrancy of an Old Order Mennonite community. This durability can be attributed to a "third…

Contends that science education researchers should devote more time to creating and studying models of intergenerational and community-based science education. Argues that such inquiries have the potential to provoke new thinking that could expand basic conceptions of what it means to learn and practice science. (WRM)

Comments on the articles presented in this issue with respect to their implications for classroom practices. Stresses that in this issue, the researchers describe how social context factors (such as adult viewpoints and adult-child interaction patterns) and physical context factors (such as variations in classroom space-time organization and…

Discusses the overwhelmingly positive evidence from experience and research which suggests that a multiage environment can be superior to one of age-segregated class levels. Illuminates the logic of educating students in mixed-age groups (called multiage) by discussing the academic and social advantages, the affective benefits, and the positive…

Ten articles provide a detailed look at examples of real-world multiage classrooms; review the literature and research surrounding multiage groupings; explore the practical issues involved in organizing, conducting, and assessing multiage classrooms; and offer insight into the many implications of and subtleties that accompany multiage groupings.…

In this video, former students and teachers recall their experiences in rural one-room schools in various regions. Just getting to school involved some hardship; anecdotes include experiences of walking, riding horses, driving snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles, and canoeing to school. Students, teachers, and community members developed a…

This book reports on a three-part qualitative research study examining multiage classrooms from different perspectives. Part 1 of the book describes the activities of a K-3 multiage classroom, based on 40 days of observation and participation. The four chapters in this part offer a description of a typical day in the observed classroom; a brief…

The case for multiage education is examined and an effort is made to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions about its implementation. The questions are organized into eight groups. The first group tries to clarify the concept of multiage education and its components. Concepts such as multiyear placement, looping classrooms, split…

This paper addresses multiple perspectives on the quality of early childhood care and education, including lessons learned from programs in various countries, the implications of these perspectives, and recommendations for the improvement of early childhood provision. It also examines the ideas expressed in the 1994 "Start Right" report on early…

Celebration, Florida, is a planned community (8,000 households) newly developed by Disney Corporation. Its K-12 inclusive school, in partnership with Stetson University, implements learner-centered features such as multiage classrooms, multiple intelligences, and multidimensional assessment with students managing their own electronic portfolios.…

Notes that children ignored or rebuffed by their peers may be denied access to learning opportunities involving peer interaction. Describes how the sociometric dynamics in one classroom affected three children. Suggests implementations to minimize negative impact of peer rejection including identifying sociometric patterns, and then utilizing…