Focusing on managing reading instruction related to the range of differences in the classroom, this paper includes a historical review of managing instruction beginning with examples from the 1800s. It offers a selective review of the literature on managing reading instruction and explores the following: (1) studies of organizational plans such as homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping, various schemes for assigning students to teachers, alternatives for organizing the curriculum, and specific plans for organizing the classroom; (2) studies of classroom behaviors including management effectiveness and descriptions of classroom interactions; and (3) studies of teachers' decision making. A final section contains some conclusions and directions for further study and notes that with regard to present practice, the optimum or universally effective strategy for managing instruction has not been devised and that there may never be a universally effective scheme for all students. Shortcomings in the research on managing instruction and directions for further study are discussed. (MKM)