Many postsecondary institutions utilize learning communities to increase social engagement and attachment to the college community. In recent years, these communities have proliferated as part of a trend fueled by low retention and persistence rates, increasing reluctance of 4-year institutions to provide remedial education, and pressure on…

In 2004, South Charlotte Middle School (SCMS), Charlotte, North Carolina, was named "A School to Watch" by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. One of the program components cited as highly successful by the visiting committee representing the Forum was the provision of an enrichment period called the ninth block. Ninth…

When learning, students yearn for meaning, challenge, and relevance. Integrated learning fulfills these desires by limiting the compartmentalization of learning--providing a more coherent learning environment. Too often, mathematics and the physical sciences are taught as separate entities. Yet, many commonalities exist, especially between…

Focuses on changes in instructional approaches in the schools following the adoption of block scheduling that may influence student learning. Examines a number of student outcomes, including student grades, honor roll and failure rates, the numbers of students successfully completing Advanced Placement courses, and achievement test scores from the…

Compares the final-exam scores in honors physics at a South Florida high school during 3 consecutive 4-year periods from 1991-2002. Finds that class mean exam scores decreased when the school switched from 7-period day to 4 by 4 block (4 92-minute periods per day), but increased when the block schedule was enhanced with web-assisted instruction.…

Research reveals important generalizations about block scheduling. A/B schedules are easier to implement than 4/4 schedules, which must be adapted to allow some year-long courses. Merely changing the school bell schedule will not guarantee better student performance. However, block scheduling typically improves climate, attendance, and…

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…

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)

Using a low-inference observational instrument, the authors empirically described and compared pedagogical behaviors in bilingual and structured English-immersion programs serving Spanish-speaking English language learners in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The two programs included both intervention/control of each type during…

This project studied four career college and school campuses in Texas that had higher than average graduation rates and lower than average student loan default rates to determine what they did to achieve these positive outcomes. The visits to the campuses found that a conscious, concerted effort to integrate students into the academic and social…

Results are presented from a mixed-method investigation into the effects of Block Schedule on student self-efficacy, attitude, and instructional practices within the context of mathematics. Students exposed to block schedule showed no change in attitude toward mathematics, whereas those on a traditional schedule demonstrated a significant…