Use of the music block schedule for elementary band, chorus, and orchestra programs has many advantages. For example, it eliminates the need to pull students from class and abates classroom teacher and music teacher friction. Solutions to other problems often encountered in scheduling are also discussed. (RM)

Key factors that contribute to the success of a flexible modular scheduling system at a Wisconsin high school are outlined. (Author/MLF)

Descriptive study of ongoing changes in scheduling practices in Iowa and Illinois high schools during the 1999-2000 academic year. Describes scheduling models and trends with block scheduling implementation. Finds approximately one-fourth of Illinois and Iowa high schools have implemented block scheduling. Explains possible reasons for slow…

Outlines the rational for restructuring at one Missouri high school that went to the eight-block/seven-period plan. Presents weekly block time schedules from three different high schools in Missouri, Arizona, and Kansas. (SR)

Outlines advantages expected to result from the shift made by an Illinois high school to a "4x4" block scheduling program in the Fall of 1998. (SR)

Reviews research on block scheduling and concludes that despite implementation problems and criticism, it has become an important tool in efforts to improve school climate and student achievement. (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

Block Scheduling has been considered a cure for a lengthy list of educational problems. This report reviews the literature on block schedules and describes some Oregon high schools that have integrated block scheduling. Major disadvantages included resistance to change and requirements that teachers change their teaching strategies. There is…

This report describes the technical aspects and potential applications of a computer-based model simulating the flow of airmen through basic training and entry-level technical training. The objective of the simulation is to assess the impacts of alternative recruit classification and training policies under a wide variety of assumptions regarding…

Some of the difficult questions surrounding intensive scheduling, along with examples of successful applications of this approach, are described in this document. This book offers a blueprint from a practitioner's perspective and is intended for educators and lay people interested in improving secondary schools. Chapter 1 demonstrates how to…

This book investigates school schedules by examining the use of time at the middle level and discussing strategies that schools may use to provide greater flexibility to the school day. Eleven specific scheduling models are presented and described. Complementing the models is a discussion of the factors that propel a school's investigation of…

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…

A Nebraska high school implemented interdisciplinary teaming several years ago as a direct result of its strategic planning effort. It eventually rejected the intensified block schedule, which manipulated time without changing teacher roles, and adopted a flexible block schedule. Departments were replaced by interdisciplinary teams of teachers and…

Addresses the scheduling debate, focusing on the block scheduling approach in secondary schools. Discusses alternative scheduling that incorporates both the traditional short classes and the block schedules, such as Flex 8 and hybrid schedules. Urges music teachers to contribute to the scheduling debate. Includes a list of resources. (CMK)

Prior research indicates that using democratic modeling in a classroom can increase students' class participation, self-esteem, senses of belonging, and senses of responsibility toward the school, but that the effect can be short-termed if other classrooms are not so organized. However, little research examines the impact of flexible scheduling.…

The development of language and literacy is the foundation for all other learning. This statement is the guiding philosophy at the Iowa School for the Deaf (ISD). Teachers at ISD believe that intensive, highly structured early intervention and education work best to support cognitive and communication development in their students. However, little…