This study attempts to ascertain the extent to which the classrooms reflect a model of open education. The findings are based on an examination of five classrooms and a supplementary analysis of responses to a questionnaire administered to practitioners in 30 school districts. Each classroom is described in terms of the Rathbone model of open education. Nine separate categories for each classroom are compared to the model. Major results for the five classrooms indicate that (1) although all classrooms provide at least some form of individualized instruction, they offer widely different interpretations of a student as his own agent in the learning process; (2) subject areas are not generally integrated; (3) teachers are enthusiastic about multi-age grouping; (4) competition is more pronounced in those classrooms that emphasize group instruction; (5) most children treat failure as a natural occurrence rather than as a threat; and (6) the teacher's role varies considerably in the five classrooms. A review of the literature, a bibliography, and samples of the instruments used in the study are included in the report. (Author)