The Effects of Integration and Open Education on Mathematics Achievement in the Early Primary Grades in Israel

As part of a longitudinal study of the effects of integration and a particular innovation in classroom practice on the achievement of lower-and middle-class children in elementary school, a wave of first- and second-grade Jerusalem children was administered mathematics tests at the end of each of the two school years. Lower-class children performed best in settings characterized by both integration and classroom innovation at both grade levels, next best in integrated settings without changes in classroom procedure, and lowest in homogeneous settings. The performance of middle-class children was differentially affected by integration and the introduction of an innovative classroom practice.