Multiage Classes: what research tells us about their suitability for rural schools

Rural schools often have mixed-age (multigrade) classes because of small enrolments. There is a body of research which supports classes which are mixed-age by choice - multiage classes. To what extent can the successful practices of multiage teachers be adopted by multigrade teachers in rural schools? This article presents a summary of the research findings related to both multiage and multigrade classes, and explores the factors which are relevant in explaining the success of multiage classes.