When Vicky Wood came to Washington State Community College as president in 2017, the college was investing limited resources in efforts to improve student success. Dr. Wood brought on a new leadership team, which has engaged faculty and staff throughout the college in making substantial changes to organizational practice and culture with the goal…

While community colleges excel at expanding postsecondary enrollments, these institutions often struggle to help students succeed. A chorus of school leaders and policymakers increasingly agree that broad-based, comprehensive organizational change is needed to drastically improve community college student success and equity. The Guided Pathways…

The massive disruptions created by the pandemic forced higher education institutions to reconfigure their operations to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning. This study identified the anticipation, coping and adaptation practices of public higher education institutions in response to the challenges during the health crisis. It was the…

Developmental education is the starting point for many 1st-year college students, especially from underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations. One such 1st-year program linked block-scheduled academic skill-development courses with a required interdisciplinary general education science course where instruction was provided…

At the heart of a mature competency-based learning system lies a fundamental commitment to meeting all students where they are. This monograph explores three driving questions that open the door to a discussion of the relational, pedagogical and structural dimensions of meeting students where they are: (1) How do we know where students are? (2)…

Fixed scheduling is well-researched in the school library literature. We know from this research that information skills taught in isolation from curriculum content are not as relevant to students as skills taught in the context of what they already know (McGregor 2006). Constructivism is an approach to learning that posits individuals construct…

Purpose: A recent development in England is the emergence, under various names, of groups of schools working together in a variety of collaborative ways. Such diversification enjoys broad political support. In this paper, the author aims to argue that the trend is potentially a radical transformation of the school system as a whole. The concepts…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of principals whose schools were granted innovation status in accordance with the "Colorado Innovation Schools Act of 2008" (CISA). The CISA created a statewide system that allowed individual schools and entire districts to increase autonomy and…

This book is a compilation of articles taken from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) journal entitled "The Science Teacher" that pertain to block scheduling and strategies for effective science instruction within this framework. Articles include "Blockbuster Ideas" (Judy Bohince and Ireve King), "Tackling Block Scheduling" (Martha M.…

Discusses the training and preparation for the transition to block scheduling. Provides a summary of some of the aspects of the four-by-four block schedule and describes strategies employed to modify instruction and curriculum. Includes two sample interdisciplinary activities. (DDR)

Describes how to approach block scheduling of science classes. Discusses the planning process, specific activities that work well in longer science classes, and techniques for motivating students. (DDR)

Significant attention and resources have been focused on reforming high schools to enhance graduation rates. The research literature supports the following practices: (1) For struggling students, accurate identification and intensive instructional, monitoring, and counseling support; (2) For 9th graders, transition activities, personalization, and…

Discusses the advantages of an extended school year and block scheduling for science learning. (DDR)

Examines the benefits of flexible scheduling and the initial steps used in exploring this approach. Discusses the problem of loss of instructional time and the use of an independent research period as a solution. Presents results from an external assessment, ACT score data, and CTBS scores. (DDR)

Daniel A. Grout School in southeast Portland, Oregon, built a unified literacy program that sparked change across the school. The "literacy block" program, which focuses on teacher collaboration, early intervention, and higher-order thinking skills, began in 1996 as a Title I Schoolwide program. In 1998, Grout staff received "early…