One Middle School's Elimination of Homogeneous Grouping: A Qualitative Study

In this study, the authors examine one middle school's elimination of tracking in math, English, and reading classes. In general, the study bridges the gap between research that clarifies the deleterious effects of tracking and other research that provides strategies for handling heterogeneity. Previously, the process of getting “untracked” has been unexplored. Specifically, two qualitative procedures, interviewing and participant observation, provided answers to the following questions: 1. What allowed a school to initiate a shift to heterogeneous grouping?2. What attitudes or beliefs did administrators and teachers share?3. What steps characterized the implementation process?4. What challenges did school personnel face in switching to heterogeneous grouping?5. What were the perceptions of students regarding heterogeneous grouping? The findings underscore the importance of a shared decision-making model, the possibility for a successful transition to heterogeneous grouping, and the shared beliefs of students and staff that heterogeneity improves the classroom culture.