Behind the Headline: Differentiation Doesn’t Work

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Differentiation Doesn’t Work
1/7/15| Ed Week

Behind the Headline
All Together Now
Winter 2011 | Education Next

In an Ed Week commentary, James Delisle explains why differentiated instruction doesn’t work. He concludes:

It seems that, when it comes to differentiation, teachers are either not doing it at all, or beating themselves up for not doing it as well as they’re supposed to be doing it. Either way, the verdict is clear: Differentiation is a promise unfulfilled, a boondoggle of massive proportions.

He notes

It seems to me that the only educators who assert that differentiation is doable are those who have never tried to implement it themselves: university professors, curriculum coordinators, and school principals.

Delisle cites an Education Next article by Mike Petrilli, “All Together Now,” in his commentary. Mike’s article describes the challenges of differentiated instruction and takes a close look at one school that is doing its best to differentiate instruction to help diverse students reach their potential.

– Education Next

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