This study examined the impact of different student academic profiles on students' perceptions of school functioning within a modified alternating day, block-8 (A/B) schedule. Five academic profiles of students were identified using reports of their grades, satisfaction with their achievement, attributions of success to effort or ability,…

The effect of block scheduling on high school student achievement in mathematics and reading was investigated in this study through the use of an ex post-facto, longitudinal research design. Specifically, student scores from 9th and 11th-grade standardized tests were matched and sorted by junior high and high school attended. Outcome measures…

In 2002, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) initiated an innovative and ambitious program for improving student learning through the effective use of instructional technology. Until that point, most technology projects in schools were geared toward integrating technology into the curriculum, and they tended to focus on…

For nearly a century this university has been training teachers and administrators for public schools. The university has benefited from a rich heritage, which includes being the first teachers college in Mississippi. Having established itself as the state's primary institution for the training of teachers it would be easy to rest on past laurels…

Interest in online school courses is surging nationwide, especially at the high school level, according to those who follow trends in educational technology. Much of that demand is coming from those who enroll in just one or two a year to meet a particular academic need or resolve a scheduling hang-up. Online courses have become so popular, in…

Spatial abilities are fundamental to human functioning in the physical world. Spatial reasoning allows people to use concepts of shape, features, and relationships in both concrete and abstract ways, to make and use things in the world, to navigate, and to communicate. Surgeons, pilots, architects, engineers, mechanics, builders, farmers, trades…

As of 1996, Chaparral High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, was in the fourth year of a radical restructuring effort. The school changed from a 6-period day, composed of 51-minute periods, to an alternating day schedule, composed of 3 102-minute periods per day. This report describes how the school developed and implemented the new schedule. Faculty…

This document provides an overview of full-day kindergarten, identifying the states requiring local school districts to offer full-day kindergarten; summarizing some of the national research on the effects of full-day kindergarten classes; describing current kindergarten practices in Ohio; and explaining proposed state budget appropriations…

The number of part-time faculty instructors at two-year colleges has grown steadily since the early 1960s, increasing from 38% in 1962 to 65% in 1993. Part-time faculty are employed in community colleges for four main reasons. First, they save an institution money in both salaries and benefits and are rarely promoted; second, the use of part-time…

Year-round education (YRE) has been brought increasingly to the forefront of the debate over educational reform. Although the results of year-round school studies are mixed, three specific elements are evident in successful programs--reduced curriculum review, increased instructional time, and improved student outcomes. This report introduces the…

In 1973, the Virginia State Board of Education and the school board, faculty, and students of Buena Vista (Virginia) approved a four-quarter voluntary extended school-year plan for the Parry McCluer High School. This paper describes the review and planning process, as well as some of the program's outcomes 20 years later. Some of its objectives…

This book examines the duties assigned to athletic directors, offering successful strategies for achieving them and materials to make their jobs easier (e.g., sample memos, letters, forms, and charts for interacting successfully with coaches, students, administrators, and parents). Section 1 discusses the director's work with student athletes and…

One result of the extraordinarily rapid pace of educational reform in recent decades has been public expectation of greater accountability for the more than $300 billion spent annually on schools. As reformers have sought better ways to utilize all resources, including instructional time, block scheduling has been developed as a more efficient way…

Questions concerning year-round schooling are presented and answered in this report. Following a definition of year-round education, examples of single-track and multitrack schedules are described, along with the calendar variations within them. Other issues that are addressed include holidays and intersessions, compliance with the Alberta School…

This document presents information for Saskatchewan administrators who are considering rescheduling the traditional school day or school year. It discusses reasons for changing school schedules and identifies educational, societal, and economic concerns around the change. Steps in the change process include: evaluation/needs assessment;…