Four secondary teachers, long accustomed to working in isolation, joined forces to provide an interdisciplinary program with flexible scheduling and common planning periods. This article describes their school-within-a-school program, its acceptance by the Coalition of Essential Schools, and the program's benefits. A sidebar provides restructuring…

A North Carolina study found that first-year teachers moved confidently into block scheduling, rated the block highly, and used 11% more time than experienced teachers to manage classroom discipline problems. Teachers attributed their success to instructional pacing, ability to vary instructional strategies, subject area competency, and…

Surveyed for their perceptions, students attending four Alabama block-scheduled high schools identified block scheduling as more effective than traditional scheduling. Perceptions are unrelated to years of student experience. Teachers use more diverse strategies; students earn more graduation credits; instructional climate is improved; and making…

Describes an action research project on block scheduling undertaken in Seattle/Puget Sound area high schools. Notes how block scheduling challenges conventional high school structures. Identifies nine key elements of a new model of high school and high school teaching encouraged by block period structures. (SR)

In North Carolina, 114 marketing teachers and principals agreed that block schedules affect attitudes and performance and require more planning and staff development. They disagreed whether block schedules change the pace of instruction, reduce dropout, and affect participation in school-to-work programs. (SK)

Examines some evidence presented for and against block scheduling and makes recommendations based on these observations. Existing empirical evidence is ambivalent regarding academic benefits, particularly for mathematics achievement. Alternative scheduling seems right for some curricular areas and wrong for others. Blocking some classes and not…

Presents suggestions for encouraging children to practice music (or anything else), including seeking out instruction, writing out schedules, setting goals, concentrating, relaxing and practicing slowly, practicing hard things longer, practicing with expression, learning from mistakes, not showing off, thinking independently, being optimistic, and…

A Georgia high school got on the block-scheduling bandwagon after discovering that their students were having difficulties meeting new state graduation requirements and wanted more electives. After receiving extensive retraining and working on a block-scheduling plan for graduate credit, teachers successfully made the transition. (MLH)

Describes how sharing campus aquatic facilities can help colleges cover the significant costs of operation. Discusses the priority-setting and planning required to constantly circulate different user groups in and out of pools. (EV)

Provides an evaluation template for student activities professionals charged with evaluating competitive event scheduling software. Guides staff in making an informed decision on whether to retain event management technology provided through an existing vendor or choose "best-of-breed" scheduling software. (EV)

Discusses the issue of time and time management in France, explaining that many outsiders are frustrated at the way the French behave in the workplace and noting that time is not always money in the French workplace. Discusses monochronic versus polychronic cultures, looks at France's differing notion of time, and describes a French manager's…

Indicates the importance of flexible teaching and learning in engineering education, especially to students who cannot attend in traditional, full time, on-campus studies. Discusses the benefits of flexible teaching and learning for both students and academic staff. (Contains 27 references.) (Author/YDS)

Staffing and scheduling are just one part of a center director's job. Most do not give it the time and attention it needs. It is a task that requires organizational skills and interpersonal skills to put together a staffing pattern that works for the people and the center. In this article, the author shares some of the discoveries she has learned…

This report provides national estimates on distance education at degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the 2006-07 academic year. While this report covers many of the topics in the previous three reports, the data are not comparable. The definition of distance education in the 2006-07 study reflected two major changes from earlier studies.…

To better understand the dynamics of online student test taking, including the likelihood of cheating by large numbers of students, we examined test-taking patterns and outcomes of weekly online quizzes in two large undergraduate biology lecture courses. Students taking a quiz late in a 1-3-day quiz access period performed 10-15% worse on quizzes…