Evaluated a professional development project, Constructing and Networking for Multiage Learning, which gave teachers Internet access and support for more constructivist teaching. Found that teachers initially modified their teaching, but reverted to more traditional practices by the end of 3 years. Although most became successful technology users,…

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…

This is the 2011 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). This Yearbook contains five parts. Part I, Invited Chapters, includes: (1) NCPEA President's Message, 2011 (Gary W. Kinsey); (2) Shadows and Images II (Lloyd Duvall); and (3) Micropolitics in the School: Teacher Leaders' Use of Political Skill…

This book describes the development of individuals and a school that were involved in an action-research effort known as The Educational and Community Change (ECC) Project. Much of the book was written by the teachers and principal at Ochoa Elementary School in South Tucson, Arizona, which implemented the ECC project in 1990. Chapter 1 examines…

This paper describes the long-term effects of a staff-development program, "Dealing with Multi-Grade Classes," based on selected findings from teaching-effectiveness research in schools with multi-grade or mixed-age classes. The short-term effects were examined in two studies conducted in 1986-87 and 1989-90. In 1992 a follow-up study…

This study compared the effects of multi-age classroom strategies to those of traditional classroom strategies on the academic achievement of fourth grade students in reading and math. Standardized test scores from 20 fourth-grade students in two multi-age third- and fourth-grade classrooms were compared to the scores of 20 students from 7…

A quasi-experimental, treatment-control group investigation was designed to test the effects on Dutch primary school teachers of the staff development program "Dealing with Mixed-Age Classes." Research findings from mixed-age classes, effective teaching, and classroom management and organization were translated into teaching behaviors.…

This paper discusses the process involved in a change in curriculum at the Leafy Wood State School of Australia. The change involved most children who began attending the school in 1985 and 1986 (about 180 children aged 5, 6, and 7 years), their parents, 8 teachers, and the school administration team. The decision to change the style of curriculum…

Research on the social and cognitive effects of grouping children in mixed-age versus same-age classrooms is gaining interest among practitioners and researchers. This investigation used a teacher rating scale to assess children's prosocial, aggressive, and friendship behaviors in mixed- and same-age classrooms. Confounding variables such as the…

This action research project investigated a modified integrated curriculum for students in a multiage classroom who lacked personal and social skills. The lack of such skills in the prekindergarten through first-grade students was documented by means of teacher observations, summary reports, daily behavior reports, student portfolios, discussions…

An essential aspect of Old Order Mennonite identity is located in the historical-cultural understanding of who they are as one group of God's people. Schooling is an intentional means of reinforcing this understanding, and it is finely tuned to prepare children for the Old Order way of life. As such, it emphasizes basic academics, acquisition of…

A model professional development school (PDS) serves Celebration, Florida, a planned community built by the Disney Corporation. The K-12 Celebration School resulted from cooperation among the Osceola County School District, Stetson University, and Disney. In this PDS, featuring multiage groupings and individualized instruction, students, staff,…

Describes the benefits of including the ninth grade within the 3-year multi-age group setting within a Montessori farm school. Notes how seventh, eighth, and ninth grades work together in one family cluster, allowing 15-year-olds to avoid the pecking order of the high school freshman year while developing personal leadership, confidence, and a…

Summarizes ERIC documents on grandparents, the Situation Approach in Asia, and educating young children in a diverse society. Summarizes nine journal articles on child care, parenting, education, kindergarten and nursery schools, hearing-impaired children, and social policy in China, Australia, and various countries in Europe, Latin America, and…

Describes a block play activity undertaken in a kindergarten through second-grade multiage classroom, in which children used blocks and various other props to construct and operate an imaginary snack shop. Discusses the benefits of block play and guidelines for teachers to follow in establishing block play activities. (MDM)