SwitchedOnMom recommended this article on The More Child Blog. It was a great read that hit many important points.
http://www.takoma.com/archives/copy/2009/10/schoolscene1009.htmlAnd the school system�s reaction to this training seems to be to shift further away from homogeneous grouping�.
I agree that all children should get the resources they need. Are all students the same? No. So I don�t agree with homogeneous grouping. I see the need for some heterogeneous grouping in elementary school, but even there, they need to have the acceleration and enrichment. All kids need enrichment but not all kids are the same. Once they get to middle school, differentiated classrooms have to be the norm. I think MCPS is making a mistake. I think they�ve been pushed into it because of the steady drumbeat in the county to treat all kids as if they are alike. I definitely don�t think that works for African-American students.