JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2001 | NW REPORT

When students are grouped for instruction with other children of different grades and varying ability levels, how well do they fare? What kind of training would help teachers of multigrade classrooms improve results for their students?

Those questions are answered in detail in a new seven-book series of handbooks from NWREL. The Multigrade Classroom: A Resource for Small, Rural Schools draws on more than a decade of research by NWREL's Rural Education Program and incorporates the practical wisdom of an experienced team of teachers.

The findings about multigrade classrooms appear promising. Research shows that students in these classrooms perform at least as well academically as their peers in traditional grade-level classes. And they shine when it comes to developing social competency and acquiring a positive attitude about school.

For teachers, multigrade classrooms do require more work than conventional classes and demand a set of instructional skills not commonly taught in teacher preparation programs. But research also shows that supportive administrators can help teachers make a smooth adjustment to these assignments. The handbooks guide teachers as they gain their footing in the multigrade classroom, with field-tested tips on everything from scheduling the day to assessing student work.

Researcher Dr. Bruce Miller and series editor Susan Vincent include case descriptions and observations from the real world of multigrade teaching - from locations ranging from rural Montana to the Alaska bush to the island Republic of Palau - and the latest research about multigrade instruction.

Each book is designed to stand alone, with information, strategies, and resources on a specific aspect of the multigrade classroom. A unifying theme is that these classrooms offer special advantages to students. As the introduction points out, "Flexible schedules can be implemented and unique programs developed to meet students' individual and group interests and needs. Combined classrooms also offer ample opportunity for students to become resourceful and independent learners."

In particular, students benefit from the family atmosphere that can develop when a classroom doesn't isolate children according to grade level. "Friendly relationships based on understanding and respect develop naturally between the students and the teacher," the handbooks point out, and positive bonds also grow between older and younger children.

Psychologists and educators also have come to understand that children don't develop according to a rigid timetable. Interest in more flexible classroom arrangements has soared as a result. Such powerful benefits for young learners are behind the recent revival of interest in multigrade classrooms.

The seven books of The Multigrade Classroom can be ordered as a set or individually. To order, see the Document Order Form.

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