Shares information on current scheduling trends within Iowa and explains why some schools have adopted a more cautious schedule-modification posture. In Iowa, there is strong support for cocurricular activities, including music and art, and faculty resistance, based on instructional issues. Test scores are high with a traditional schedule. (13…

A study was conducted at two metropolitan South Florida high schools to determine perceptions of 100 teachers concerning block scheduling. Teachers felt that the 4 X 4 block schedule contained too many time gaps for teaching foreign languages, English, and math. Teachers believed block schedules benefitted advanced students more than others and…

Describes the changes that came to one high school journalism program when the school embarked on a four-block scheduling program. Describes losses and gains over a three-year period. Concludes that, in addition to significant community service benefits, there is now more depth in learning and more pride in completed work, with students taking…

The implications for physical education of the trend toward block scheduling at the middle and high school levels are discussed. Physical educators are urged to see block scheduling as an opportunity. Suggestions for implementing the block schedule include a sample schedule for a 90-minute physical education class. Positive results of block…

Compares achievement of students attending a large Florida high school under a traditional schedule during 1993-94 and a trimester block schedule during the following year. Passing grades have gone up 3.7%. Regarding Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Testing results, there was no significant difference. Teachers, students, parents, and…

Business teachers who are also Future Business Leaders of America advisors (65 with block scheduling, 19 without) perceive block scheduling differently in their roles as teachers and as advisors. Although they support it as teachers, they have serious reservations as advisors because of its impact on student organizations. (Author/JOW)

In education, there is no one best way to do anything. There are compelling reasons why some courses should be taught in longer segments of time, which the block schedule provides. There are also compelling reasons why some classes should be taught in shorter segments. At Watauga High School in Boone, North Carolina, an alternative schedule that…

The advent of the No Child Left Behind legislation has produced mandates that focus heavily on reading skills. Writing has a secondary role, while speaking and listening skills are almost insignificant in terms of instructional time. NCLB mandates have translated into block scheduling for reading in many schools. This can be very useful when the…

This paper presents the results of an experiment conducted to assess the affects of teaching recursion in two disjoint, non-consecutive units of instruction. One group of students was taught basic and advanced recursion topics in four consecutive class periods, while a second group was taught recursion in two two-period blocks that were separated…

With decreasing enrollment, decreasing funding for public school education, changes in family and societal needs, and the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, policymakers and school leaders are wrestling with reforms to the school calendar and instructional time spent in the classroom, with the goal of increasing student achievement.…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Practice Guide, "Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades" addresses the challenge of providing effective literacy instruction for English learners in the elementary grades. The Guide offers five specific recommendations for district…

The block scheduling program used in a high school in a small Midwestern city was evaluated, considering the "hard" data of effects on grade point average (GPA) and attendance, but not information about student attitudes and perceptions. Data were available for approximately 500 students from the classes of 1997 (before the block…

This study examined one public school system's change in its scheduling format from a seven-period day to block scheduling. This longer uninterrupted instructional time, usually lasting 90 minutes, provides for fewer classes and transitions per day, and the completion of more course credits during the school year. Participants were 200 high school…

This study investigated the effects of block scheduling on student learning. It compared the grade-point averages (GPAs) of one group of students during their 9th-grade year while under the traditional 7-period day to the GPAs of their 10th-grade year under the 4-by-4 block schedule. The text offers a history of block scheduling and lists some of…

A study examining performance differences on the Ohio Colleges Early Math Placement Test of students receiving algebra and geometry instruction in a traditional, year-long structure versus students in an intensified block structure found the traditional structure more effective. Using block scheduling for all courses and students is unwise. Some…