Most of the middle schools in Belgium are 2-year schools that form a link between the 6 years of elementary education and the last 4 years of secondary education. In Flanders they are regarded as an example of the more global reform of the secondary educational system in a comprehensive sense. First, this document outlines the new system of…

FOURTEEN RESEARCH REPORTS, PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1948 AND 1965, PERTAINING TO DEPARTMENTALIZATION VERSUS GRADED CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ARE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED. (HM)

This paper explores whether differential access to school, as measured by student attendance, length of school day, and school term, is an important determinant of student outcomes (achievement and educational plans). It is stated here that most of the "school effects" research has utilized school level variables for school resources,…

Organizational differentiation of students is defined as the division of a student body into subgroups (classes, sections, streams) of a relatively permanent character for instructional purposes. A vast body of research exists on the effect of organizational differentiation, especially the effects of grouping according to ability. No coherent…

Critics argue against differentiated staffing on the bases that (1) limited compensation ranges lower teacher morale, (2) the loss of the services of trained teachers and the impersonality of the large group organization lower student incentive to achieve, and (3) salary savings are at the expense of the quality of the instructional program. Since…

In 163 Maine schools, the performance of eighth-grade students on standardized tests, especially reading achievement, was highest in elementary settings (K-8, K-9, 3-8) and lowest in junior-senior high school settings (6-12, 7-12, 8-12), when socioeconomic status and teacher experience were controlled. (SV)

Examines differences among 29 developed nations in educational differentiation and sorting of students for specialized curricula. Compares countries with differentiated and nondifferentiated education systems with respect to costs per pupil and the scores of students in grades 7-8 on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).…

Most American visitors to Japanese senior high schools have observed only the very best public academic schools in the nation. Two-thirds of Japanese students attend other schools. This book presents findings of a case study that focused on the 12th-grade experience in a Japanese public general high school. The data were supplemented by visits to…

Findings from a study on the curriculum and organization of Dade public high schools are presented in this report. An honor student mentor group conducted a literature review and held discussions with assistant principals, English department heads, teachers, and students. From this research they concluded that problems in the schools are…

The relationship of middle school climate to academic achievement was examined. Participants were members of eight 6th grade classes. Four of the classes were in elementary settings, and four in middle school settings. Classes were matched as closely as possible on economic status and ethnic composition. Entered into correlational analyses were…

Tracking--the system of grouping students for instruction on the basis of ability--reflects the class and racial inequalities of American society and helps to perpetuate them. In the junior and senior high schools studied, there were clear differences between upper and lower tracks in: (1) content and quality of instruction, (2) teacher-student…

This report's central theoretical assumption is that adolescents are in risk of problem behavior if they are not sufficiently equipped with the social and psychological competencies to cope with culturally and socially defined developmental tasks specific to their ages. The first chapter describes the socio-structural factors which have changed…

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…

Due to inconclusive data, inconsistent findings, and a lack of relevant empirical studies, no definite conclusions could be drawn in this research review of school grade organization effects. The review specifically sought research that could illuminate the effects of elementary and middle school grade organization on student achievement, parent…

Stanford's Environment for Teaching study involved analysis of data collected in 1973 and 1975 by questionnaire and interview from 188 principals and over 200 teachers from a stratified sample of 46 elementary schools drawn from 34 San Francisco Bay Area school districts. Using aggregate indices, the study examined data relating school complexity…