ABSTRACT
One of the most heated but very quiet debates among teachers is about how we group our students, both in our classrooms and in the way we arrange our schools. It is a controversial topic, and passions run high on both sides, yet there is a significant silence from the field on this in recent years-at least publicly. The contradictory research does little to clarify the question of “best practice.” Some say ability grouping “meets students where they are,” while others say that “tracking” leads to substandard instruction. Some say that organizing students by talent makes all the sense in the world, while others say that it is a socioeconomic sieve.
