If I'm a parent with a fifth grader, there's only one year that child will be in fifth grade. I want it all now. In response, she says, the school administration needs to present a transition plan. You can't pull the rug out totally from the parents or teacher. To gain parents' support, teachers need to first show them what to expect and later make clear what's been accomplished, says Tomlinson.
Parents are willing to go along, but unless there's communication, they assume nothing's happening.
It offers a better chance of getting needed resources. But they also need to be in mixed readiness groups, which draw on the particular skills of each child. Fears of discipline problems in a diverse classroom often foster the drive for homogeneous sections, especially among parents of gifted students. Judy Hart understands and says teachers need solid classroom management skills before implementing differentiation. Tomlinson, who sees boredom and failure at the root of most students' acting out, says differentiation can meet many fears about classroom control head on.