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DOCUMENT RESUME EA 025 954 ED 376 544 Miller, Bruce A. AUTHOR Children at the Center: Implementing the Multiage TITLE Classroom. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene, INSTITUTION Oreg.; Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, Oreg. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), SPONS AGENCY Washington, DC. REPORT NO ISBN-0-86552-130-1 PUB DATE 94 RR93002006 CONTRACT NOTE 138p. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, AVAILABLE FROM University of Oregon, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97403 -j207 ($15.95). Research/Technical (143) Reports PUB TYPE Information Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160) ERIC Clearinghouse Products (071) Analyses MFOI/PC06 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Educational Change; Elementary Education; DESCRIPTORS *Multigraded Classes; *Nongraded Instructional Grouping; Nontraditional Education; Parent Participation; Program Implementation; Teacher Role ABSTRACT This handbook examines practices and issues involved in the implementation of multiage programs. Data were collected through site visits at four schools with reputations for excellent multiage programs; intervie%s with a representative sample of parents and teachers at each school; document analysis; a survey of multiage teachers, parents, and principals at each school; and a survey of participants attending a national conference on multiage instruction. Before implementing multiage programs, six important questions should be asked regarding: the reasons for implementation, teacher roles, type of school or organizational climate, type of parent and success that can community involvement, leadership, and factors fo be generalized to other settings. The following guiding principles (1) There are compelling benefits for students and were identified: (2) there teachers that justify implementing multiage organization; (3) neither bottom-up nor top-down is no single model; (4) multiage programs implementation, by itself, is effective; (5) implementation is best viAwed as require major conceptual change; an evolving, long-term change at the deepest levels of teacher beliefs about how humans learn; and (6) several incremental steps can facilitate and improve the likelihood of success. A total of 17 tables and 3 figures are included. Appendices contain information on the study methodology, data collection instruments, and codebook. (LMI) 1111111111Tai-- Se U E DEPARTMENT OR EDUCATOR Mee M Educatonas Research end improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC nte eocumnl ass been resoosho Po as fge amid from Ine Verfon n, mgenaehon Moienettne howl chNs p%., been "Nick, lo "(woo. rproductiOn du VII y ,nInts cloCu Pants Cl Pow of opmons "Rent CIO rot nitfilltde IDSnl OKA' OE RI olosa Or macs CHILDREN AT THE CENTER Implementing the Multiage Classroom BRUCE A. MILLER Published by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Portland, Oregon and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management University of Oregon Eugene 1994 Northwest Regional Educational Lahorator!, ERIC ERIC Clearinghouse on Educatkmal Management Copyright © 1994 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory All rights reserved. No part of this publication may he reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any Jim?, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publisher. library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Bruce A. implementing the multiage classroom / by Children at the center : Bruce A. Miller. cm. p. Includes bibliographical references tp. I. ISBN 0- 86552 -130 -I 1. Nongraded schools--Northwest. Pacific Case studies. II. ERI(' Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. I. III. Title. Clearinghouse on Educational Management. LB1029.N6M49 1994 94-34054 371.2'54--dc20 CIP Design: LeeAnn August ('over Photo: Kelly Fenley Type: 12/13 Times Printer: Thompson-Shore, Dexter. Michigan Printed in the United States of America. 1994 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory S.W. Main, Suite 500 101 Portland, OR 97204 Telephone: (503) :75-9549 Fax: (503) 275-9489 ERR' Clearinghouse on Educational Management l'Iliversity of Oregon I 787 Agate Street Eugene. OR 97403-5207 Telephone: ( 800) 438-8841 Fax: 1503) 346-2334 FRIC/CEN1 Accession Number: EA 025 o)54 This publication was prepared in part with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. ER1C/CEM ). The opinions expressed .S. Department of Education. under contract no. )ERI -RR 93002006 in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No federal funds were used in the printing of this publication. of Oregon is an equal opportimit% affirmati% e action institution committed to cultural di% er.ity . ni ersit The P r e I cs c T and community involvement, and edu- his publication is the re- cational leadership and management has sult of a cooperative effort of the North- become increasingly clear. west Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) and the ERIC Clearinghouse This publication is based on the most on Educational Management. .711 activities at NWREL to recent rest identify effective practices in terms of NWREL' s attention became focused on both implementation and what teachers multiage, or multigrade. instruction in do with children. the mid-1980s as an effective, and in many cases necessary, approach for d-!- The ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational livering education to students attending Management has long been committed very small schools in rural. isolated com- to disseminating information useful for munities. Initially, staff of the NWREL the operation and improvement of el- Rural Education Program concentrated ementary and secondary schools. Thus the classroom on the role and concerns the Clearinghouse staff relished this op- teacher faced with planning and carry- portunity to cooperate with NWREL in ing out instruction for children in two or and Children at the Center publishing single more grade levels together in a in making it available to policy-makers, classroom. administrators, teachers, and others who instruction. are interested in multiage Subsequently, as states such as Ken- tucky. Mississippi, and Oregon empha- Robert R. Rath sized multiage organization in legisla- tively mandated educational reform ini- Executive Director tiatives, NW REL' s focus broadened Northwest Regional Educational beyond small, rural schools. As Bruce Laboratory Miller and his colleagues have contin- Pick Philip K. ued their research and development work Prokssor and Director on multiage instruction over the past ERIC Clearinghouse on seven years, the importance of the Educational Management school's organizational climate, parent iii MISSION OF NWkEL The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) provides leadership. expertise, and services that are based on research and development. NWREL services are designed to address systemic changes for the improvement of educational outcomes for children, youth, and adults in schools and communities throughout the region. An independent, nonprofit institution established in 1966, NWREL is one of ten regional educational laboratories comprising a national network supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (0ER.). NWREL offices are located at 101 SW Main, Suite 500, Portland, Oregon 97204. NWREL research, development, dissemination, training, and technical assistance activities are carried out in eleven programmatic units focusing on: ( 1 ) Child, Family, and Community; (2) Drug-Free Schools and Communities: (3) Education and Work; (4) Evaluation and Assessment; (5) Indian Education; (6) Literacy, Language. and Communication; (7) National Origin, Race, and Sex Equity: (8) Rural Education; (9) School, Community. and Professional Development; (10) Science and Mathematics Education; and (II) Technology. MISSION OF ERIC AND THE CLEARINGHOUSE The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC') is a national information system operated by the U.S. Department of Education. ERIC' serves the educational community by disseminating research results and other resource information that can be used in developing more effective educational programs. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. one of several such units in the system. was established at the University of Oregon in 1966. The Clearinghouse and its companion units process research reports and journal articles for announcement in ERIC's index and abstract bulletins. Research reports are announced in Resources in Education (RIE), available in many libraries and by subscription from the United States Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402-9371. Most of the documents listed in RIE can be purchased through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service, operated by Cincinnati Bell Information Systems. Journal articles are announced in Current Index to Journals in Education. CUE is also available in many libraries and can be ordered from Oryx Press, 4041 North Central Avenue at Indian School. Suite 700. Phoenix, Arizona 85012. Semiannual cumulations can be ordered separately. Besides processing documents and journal articles, the Clearinghouse prepares bibliographies, literature reviews, monographs. and other interpretive research studies on topics in its educational area. CLEARINGHOUSE NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Timothy J. Dyer. Executive Director. National Association of Secondary School Principals Patrick Forsyth. Executive Director. University Council for Educational Administration Paul Houston. Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators Joyce G. McCray, Executive Director. Council for American Private Education Joseph Murphy, Vice-President. Division A. American Educalional Research Association Maggie Rogers. Directoi. Information ('enter. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Samuel Sava, Executive Director, National Association of Elementary School Principals Thomas Shannon, Executive Director, National School Boards Association Don I. Tharpe. Executive Director. Association of School Business Officials International Brenda Welhurn, Executive Director. National Association of State Hoards of :ducation Ao.slINISTRATIVE STAFF Philip K. Pick. Professor and Director Stuart C. Smith. Associate Director for Publications s t t os co Fl Li List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Foreword ix Acknowledgements xi Introduction Collecting Information from the Field 3 A Veteran Teacher's Story 3 Surveys and lndepth Interviews 5 Survey Results: Reasons for Implementing a Multiage Program 7 9 Factors of Successful Multiage Programs Implementation Problems Recommendations 11 Summary 1 3 Implications 15 Interview Results I7 What Could Be So Compelling? 17 The Conceptual Foundation: Developmentally Appropriate Practice 18 Lincoln Elementary School -)3 In the Beginning The Relational Foundation: Trust. Respect. and Sharing Power The Evolving Program: A Chronology of Change The Uncertainty of Change: Mapping tincharted Territory 35 36 Making the Grade: Challenges in Becoming Multiage 44 Enlarging the Rewards of" Teaching 49 Overland Elementary School 50 Instructional Organisation The Emerging Vision vi 4C1-111-1D.RIEN AT 1-1 IF: CI:INTER Ownership: The Key to Problem Solution 57 Benefits Have Outweighed Difficulties 61 Boise-Eliot School 64 Easing Transitions: Time, Staff Development, and Deep Understanding 65 Indicators of Readiness 67 Changing to a Multiage Classroom: Through the Eyes of Teachers 69 What Benefits Students, Benefits Teachers 72 Concrete Elementary School 77 1988-90: Years of Exploration 78 1990-91: A Year of Orientation and Planning 80 1991-92: First-Year Implementation and the Unknown 81 1992-93: Expansion and Refinement 83 1993-94: Refinement and Full-Speed Ahead 85 Commitment. Support, and the Dilemma of Change 87 90 We Did It! The Benefits of Seeing It Through Conclusion 93 Compelling Reasons for Implementation 93 The Roles and Knowledge of Teachers Participating in Implementation 95 Organizational Climate That Facilitates Change 97 98 Parent Involvement and Support Leadership, Support. and Transformation Implications 1 01 Prerequisites for Success: Leadership. Commitment. Support 102 Guiding Principles from the Four Schools 103 Magnitude of Change 104 Appendices 109 110 Appendix A: M4.,!hodology Appendix 11: Data Collection Instruments 113 Appendix C': ('udehook 117 Bibliography 1 8 I List of Telt:oleos Table I: Overview of the Nine Data Sources Used in 6 Preparing This Report Table 2: Demographic Characteristics of the Four Interview-Site Schools 6 Table 3: A Rank-Ordered Comparison of the Most Frequently Mentioned Reasons for Implementing a Multiage Program Table 4: A Rank-Ordered Comparison of the Most Frequently Mentioned Factors of Successful Muitiage Programs 10 Table 5: A Rank-Ordered Comparison of the Most Frequently Mentioned Implementation Problems 12 Table 6: A Rank-Ordered Comparison of the Most Frequently Mentioned Recommendations 14 Table 7: Four Categories of Learning Table 8: Perceived Benefits of Multiage Teaching for Teachers 45 and Students. Lincoln Elementary School Table 9: A Comparison of Three Dimensions of Program Change 53 Table 10: Perceived Benefits of Multiage Teaching for Teachers 62 and Students. Overland Elementary School Table II: Perceived Benefits of Multiage Teaching for Teachers and Students. Boise-Eliot Elementary School 73 Table 12: Positive Changes in Concrete Elementary School 86 from 1987 to 1992 1 able 13: Perceived Benefits of Multiage Teaching for Teachers and Students. Concrete Elementary School 91 Table 14. The Most Frequently Mentioned Reasons 94 for Implementation Found Across the Four Interview Sites Table 15. Comparison of Teacher and Student Norms in Straight and Multiage Classrooms 105 Table 16. The Most Commonly Mentioned Strategies Facilitative of Multiage Instruction and Organization 107 Table Al. Sample of Coded Data 112 v i i List cot FigUr4OS 34 Figure I: Lincoln School Assessment Model 92 Figure 2: Concrete Elementary School 96 Figure 3: Depth of Collaboration and Knowledge Use :0 viii