The squeeze for time to plan lessons and complete other administrative tasks shapes a school's professional environment and, ultimately, affects the quality of instruction. As teachers are largely separate from other educators during instruction, lack of time for collaboration can be very isolating. More than half of lower secondary school…

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 Colorado College plan divides the academic year into blocks of three and one-half weeks each, separated by breaks of four and one-half days. The results of this schedule are closer contact with students and faculty and more intense study. (Author/PG)

This paper examines how block scheduling affects teachers' perceptions of school climate. It is based on information taken from 21 high schools in a southern state that used 4X4 block scheduling. Data were collected through interviews, a survey instrument that measured teacher perceptions of climate, and focus groups. Based on results from the…

Provides an overview of the arguments for and against block scheduling in the social studies. Teachers appreciate the extra time to develop key concepts, incorporate creativity in their instruction, and implement a variety of class activities. Reviews relevant procedures and teaching skills and recommends strategies for improving the…

This booklet provides information about block scheduling--its advantages and drawbacks. Schools can use it as a discussion tool to improve their use of time by reformulating student and teacher schedules. The booklet can help educators choose a block scheduling program that will suit their school. The booklet explains the purpose of block…

This report compares student perceptions of the block schedule with those of the traditional seven periods in high school. It describes a public school that voted to implement a modified three-block schedule containing two traditional periods. The participants in the study were 200 high-school students, all of whom were switched from a traditional…

This paper reviews the literature on 4x4 block scheduling. Studies reveal that the advantages of such scheduling are simplicity, potential for greater student achievement, and reduced disciplinary referrals. Discipline is enhanced through this type of schedule because it decreases the number of times that students are moving in the halls between…

School officials have tried various scheduling strategies to strengthen curriculums. One such strategy, block scheduling, affected the operation of Portsmouth High School, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This status report examines the use of block scheduling over a 2.5 year period and focuses on how this change influenced people, curriculum, test…

Presenting a short summary of the advantages and disadvantages of four different year-round education calendars including three- and four-track schedules and four- and five-term quarter systems, this document contains numerous graphs, sample calendar models, and schedules. Also detailed within this document is a proposed year-round calendar for…

Year-round education, a widely misunderstood concept, offers both financial and educational advantages to school districts. Not only does a year-round education schedule allow a school to educate 20 to 50 percent more students in the same amount of space, it reduces the amount of time spent in review by offering continuous learning with more…

The trustees and administrators of the Oxnard School District, which currently serves approximately 12,000 students, recognized as early as 1970 that additional school sites had to be acquired and new schools constructed to accommodate a very substantial increase in student enrollment. Oxnard is located in one of the nation's fastest growing…

This is the latest edition of an extensive annotated bibliography that lists sources of information about extended school year programs in the U. S. Separate sections are devoted to books, pamphlets, articles, and reports; theses and abstracts; filmstrips and biographies; and popular articles. Within each section, entries are listed alphabetically…

No other innovation in education in the United States has as much potential for improving education and reducing costs as the year-round operation of schools. Contrary to popular perception, the 9-month school calendar is not deeply imbedded in America's education system; throughout American history, the school calendar has responded to the…