Successful multi-age programs : then and now

Abstract

School District #3 sees multi-age classroom grouping as an excellent learning environment. During the 1999-2000 school year, in response to a need expressed by both schools and the School Board to develop policies on multi-age education. School District-3 established a committee which was charged with the task of drafting policies- guidelines, and procedures for multi-age classrooms in the District. This project is contributing to the goals of that committee by providing a concise, informative resource on multi-age education; thus, particular attention has been given to supporting the practices and policies developed by the District committee. The project's primary audience is teachers in the schools that are establishing multi-age education programs. The data for this project were collected through four primary sources: a comprehensive review of research on multi-age education, document analysis, surveys, and observations and the personal experiences of the author. The surveys were developed and executed to supplement research findings and the author's knowledge gained from teaching experience in a multi-age setting. The results confirm research findings that multi-age education is advantageous to students and provide practical information concerning practices used in the set-up and execution of multi-age education programs. This information was used in compiling The Establishment of Multi-age Education -- Then and Now, a resource from which teachers may glean ideas to modify and further develop multi-age programs to meet the needs of their students.