To the Editor: As a secondary school educator for 15 years, I have seen the trend grow toward heterogeneous classrooms.

Unless the teacher understands the difficulties involved in running a heterogeneous classroom, students will not always benefit.

Collaborative strategic reading during social studies in heterogeneous fourth-grade classrooms.

Gifted programs emerge in New York City because a heterogeneous classroom is sometimes hard to come by.

Gifted students are pulled out of a heterogeneous classroom to spend a portion of their time in a gifted class.

We ought to elevate the rigor and standards in heterogeneous classrooms.

Everyone else, including the plain old smart kids, belongs in a heterogeneous classroom with high standards.

A different dynamic emerges in a heterogeneous classroom.

Very bright kids are victims of the trend toward "heterogeneous classrooms," which lump together children who perform at, above and below grade level.

The unspoken lesson my daughter took away from that heterogeneous classroom was not one of tolerance and understanding.