Going off Track(ing)

A school in Stamford is integrating students with mixed abilities into the same classroom.  On the one hand the issues with behavior and focus seem to be improving; on the other hand some students report being bored.  I’m interested in how much support the teachers at the school have received in teaching in such a differentiated setting.  Are students who share ability levels still sitting in the same groups in class?  Are the groups mixed? 

I can see the social pay off for students who have struggled academically in the past.  At the same time, I worry that if teachers aren’t supported enough in their own pedagogy, the social might trump the academic. 

See the whole article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/education/15stamford.html?_r=1&ref=education

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