Can Classrooms Learn?

Classrooms are conceptualized as collectives with variable properties, such as the differentiation of the instructional technology, delegation of authority, and interdependence of work arrangements. Class members' achievement is seen as an outcome of the operation of these variables. Testing hypotheses derived from contingency theory in organizational sociology, the authors related, under conditions of task uncertainty, measures of differentiation, the supervision of teachers, and lateral communication among students to outcomes on standardized achievement tests. They analyzed two data sets containing observational measures and test scores from linguistically and academically heterogeneous classrooms using the same classroom management system dnd curricular materials. Students were mostly from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The training of participating teachers was standardized. The results supported the hypotheses.