"First published 20 years ago, "A Place Called School "is the revolutionary account of the largest on-scene study of U.S. schools ever conducted. Carried on over four years, trained investigators entered more than 1,000 classrooms nationwide to talk to teachers, students, administrators, parents, and other community members. The result is this report. Written by one of the nation's most astute and experienced educators, Goodlad's message of optimism and his agenda for improvement have only grown in importance since the book's original publication.

Ability Grouping in Education provides an overview of ability grouping in education. The authors consider selective schooling and ability grouping within schools, such as streaming, banding setting and within-class grouping.

Provides research essays by scholars from a wide array of disciplines who examine Multiple Pathways, a revolutionary approach to high school education, which provides both the academic and real-world foundations students need for advanced learning and training.

This book highlights the use of research and other forms of knowledge for meaningful school reform by faculties engaged in the National Education Association's "Mastery in Learning Project" (MIL). This project is a school-based education reform initiative designed to help school faculties take an active role in directing school renewal efforts, and in the process, restructure their schools to ensure that students achieve "mastery." The focus of the book is the utilization and creation of the knowledge base by project faculties. The first chapter frames some fundamental and complex issues involved in considering research use by teachers. It examines the phrase "teachers using research" and describes differing and potentially conflicting conceptions of each word of the phrase. Chapters 2 through 5 provide case descriptions of the use and/or creation of knowledge at four particular sites where faculties are working to improve grouping, mathematics instruction, professional development, and faculty collegiality. Chapters 6 and 7 investigate research and knowledge use across MIL sites. Reflections from outside MIL are featured in the final two chapters. These provide the reactions of a researcher and a teacher-scholar. (JD)