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Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools

Contract Information

Current Status:

Ongoing

Duration:

September 2017 – September 2024

Cost:

$8,885,814

Contract Number:

ED-IES-17-C-0064

Contractor(s):

Mathematica Policy Research
Public Impact
Social Policy Research Associates
Clowder Consulting

Contact:

Creatively redistributing existing teachers in a school may yield academic benefits for students at little additional cost. One such strategy is departmentalized instruction, where each teacher specializes in teaching one subject to multiple classes of students instead of teaching all subjects to a single class of students (self-contained instruction). While common in secondary schools, departmentalization has only recently become more popular in upper elementary grades. This evaluation examines schools' experiences as they departmentalize in fourth and fifth grades. It will generate valuable information on an improvement strategy that low-performing elementary schools may consider adopting.

  • Did schools that chose to departmentalize carry out the key steps of this teaching model in similar ways?
  • How did teachers in departmentalized and self-contained classrooms describe their experiences, such as their professional development, time preparing for classroom instruction and interactions with students and families?
  • What is the relationship between departmentalized instruction and outcomes including student achievement and teacher retention?

This primarily descriptive study will share lessons about the implementation of departmentalized instruction, even under challenging circumstances. A total of 90 elementary schools in 12 districts across the country were initially recruited to participate in the study. All schools were using self-contained classrooms during the 2018–19 school year. Beginning with the 2019–20 school year, approximately half of these schools elected to switch to departmentalized instruction in fourth grade and fifth grade for up to two years, while the remaining schools continued with self-contained classrooms. Because the coronavirus pandemic subsequently disrupted both departmentalization efforts in participating schools and the administration of state academic assessments, the study's plans to rigorously examine outcomes were not carried out. Data collection included: principal interviews to learn how teacher assignments were made and departmentalization was structured; limited school and teacher administrative data; a teacher survey and focus groups to examine teachers' perceptions of and approaches to departmentalization.

The report for the study is expected in 2024 and will be announced on https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.

Key findings will be available after the study report is published.