Research

Smaller Classes and Smaller Schools

Reducing Class Size Leads to Individualized Instruction
Wisconsin researchers have found that class-size reduction in a variety of formats increases attention to individual students.


Sizing Up What Matters: The Importance of Small Schools.
Since the end of World War II, the number of schools in America has shrunk by 70 percent and the average school size has grown by a factor of five. Simultaneously, student-teacher ratios have been in sharp decline. While these trends were emerging, a more alarming pattern was developing—academic achievement was falling. These phenomena alone make clear the point illuminated by so much other research: “smaller is better” for schools, not classes.


Class Size Links
A set of links about research on class size.


Research on the Academic Effects of Small Class Size
An overview of the research on class size. No clear answers, of course.


Research Priorities: Five Issues in Need of Further Research
Small classes produce an array of academic and behavioral benefits that have cost-savings value.


The Edmonton Public Schools Small Class Size Study - Overview
This is only a six-month study but very interesting.


STAR Project
An overview of the classic Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project in Tennessee.


Class Size: What Does Research Tell Us?
This report emphasizes research on the effects of small classes in the early grades.


Small Scale and School Culture: The Experience of Private Schools
What are the characteristics of private schools that lead to higher public respect and student achievement? This article tries to sort it all out.

Teacher Autonomy

Exploring and Defining Teacher Autonomy: A Collaborative Discussion
The above paper explores what developing teacher autonomy can mean. From Developing Autonomy, Proceedings of the College and University Educators’ 2001 Conference, Shizuoka, Japan. Tokyo: The Japan Association for Language Teaching.


Teacher Accountability and Control in Schools
A paper that explores the relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher accountability.

Multi-Grade Classrooms

Multi-age and Multi-grade: Similarities and Differences
Making sense of multiage pedagogy by exploring its structure, ideology, and practice.


Building Support for Multiage Education
Research indicates that heterogeneous grouping promotes cognitive and social growth, reduces antisocial behavior, and facilitates the use of research-based developmentally appropriate instructional practices such as active learning and integrated curriculum.


Critical Issue: Enhancing Learning Through Multiage Grouping
Redesigning schools to nurture the developmental needs (social, emotional, intellectual, and physical) of all children is one of the significant challenges educators face in the 21st century. The use of multiage grouping, an alternative to the conventional graded classroom, is one viable means that schools may consider in order to meet this challenge.


Advantages of Multiage Classrooms
Multiage classrooms provide a more realistic, comfortable setting for students, according to this summary thesis.


Multiage Print Resources
A list of books relating to multiage classes.


Multiage Online Resources
A list of links relating to multiage classes.

Gifted & Talented

HiGifted
Hawaii’s own organization for the promotion of services to gifted students.


Genius Denied Search
Save yourself the trouble of finding great G/T websites using this dedicated search engine.