Deciding to Differentiate Instruction in Middle School: One School's Journey

Abstract

As many schools move toward serving a broad range of students in heterogeneous settings, it is important to assist teachers in developing classrooms responsive to the needs of academically diverse learners. Understanding what impedes and what facilitates appropriately differentiated instruction is essential for educational leaders if schools are to move away from one-size-fits-all teaching and if heterogeneous classrooms are to become viable for "academic outliers" such as gifted, struggling, and special education learners. This case study examines the experience of one middle school confronted with a district mandate for differentiated instruction and presents the factors which impeded or facilitated their movement toward appropriately differentiated classrooms.