This guide was created to help district leaders understand the benefits and drawbacks of the four-day school week, assess their district's readiness to make the switch, and evaluate the results of implementing the new schedule. This guide begins with an overview of common goals and outcomes for the four-day school week. It then provides a set of…

Research shows that during summer, low-income and non-white students fall behind academically compared with their more-affluent and white peers. To understand whether and how district-led voluntary summer learning programs can improve outcomes for low-income students, The Wallace Foundation initiated the National Summer Learning Project in 2011 in…

In 2007 Georgia instituted a flexibility policy through which school districts enter into performance contracts with the state, receiving waivers from state rules, provisions, and guidelines in exchange for agreeing to meet annual accountability targets. The performance contracts are intended to incentivize innovations that increase achievement…

These are the appendixes for the report, "District Changes in Student Achievement and Local Practice under Georgia's District and School Flexibility Policy." Five appendixes are included in the document: (1) About the study; (2) Data and methods; (3) Supporting analysis; (4) Survey instrument; and (5) Interview protocol. [For the full…

The Tennessee Technology Center system has become something of a darling among college-completion advocates. Comprising 27 locations across the state, the system boasts graduation and job-placement rates that many colleges only dream of: 75 percent and 83 percent, respectively. Such achievements are even more noteworthy given the population the…

Despite enrolling almost half of all undergraduate students in the United States, community colleges have struggled for decades with low degree-completion rates. CUNY community colleges struggle with the challenge of low completion rates even when the degree timetable is expanded. According to the CUNY Office of Institutional Research and…

This article describes how a long-term commitment to job-embedded professional development creates a culture of continuous learning in one Michigan district. In Holt Public Schools, every Wednesday is time for teachers' professional development, and that means the students' day is shorter by two hours to allow it. Through two decades and three…

To offer insights into scheduling strategies, this paper presents the effects of block scheduling in one rural public secondary school. This case study revolves around three questions: (1) "What prompted the school's move to block scheduling?"; (2) "How was block scheduling implemented?"; and (3) "How has block scheduling affected perceptions of…

Effective school principles can help provide successful programs for American Indians. Principles include a clear school mission, assessment of comprehensive needs and monitoring of student progress, appropriate curriculum and instruction, opportunity to learn, time spent on task, high expectations, safe and supportive school environment, good…

Successful block scheduling depends on provision of initial and ongoing instructional training. Teaching strategies should vary and include cooperative learning, the case method, the socratic seminar, synectics, concept attainment, the inquiry method, and simulations. Recommendations for maximizing block scheduling are outlined. (Contains 52…

A language education specialist who has studied elementary school second language programs, primarily in France but also in other European countries, outlines the factors he has found contributing to program success and makes recommendations for further development of second language education in Europe. Seven conditions for effective programs of…

This practicum was developed to increase the quality of child care offered by family daycare providers on a military base in the western United States. Providers were to improve their developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) by following a daily activity schedule, setting up enriched home environments, writing and implementing curricula, and…