Describes how to approach block scheduling of science classes. Discusses the planning process, specific activities that work well in longer science classes, and techniques for motivating students. (DDR)

Believes that music-teacher education is the most important link for ensuring the quality of music programs in grades K through 12. Addresses a variety of issues concerning music education that should be taught to future music teachers, such as dealing with block scheduling, teaching diverse students, and integrating technology into the music…

One of the most critical needs in Florida's "Reading First" schools is to improve the effectiveness of interventions for struggling readers. For example, during the 2005-2006 school year, only 17% of first grade students who began the year at some level of risk for reading difficulties finished the year with grade level skills on the…

Today's schools are responding to the pressing need for positive student-teacher relationships that promote successful learning and prevent dropouts and violence. To meet this challenge, many secondary schools are reorganizing around smaller schools or "houses" and structuring longer blocks of learning time. Authors Elliot Y. Merenbloom and…

Middletown High School is a comprehensive high school with 1,970 students, located in the environs of Washington, DC. It is distinguished by an open enrollment policy for all courses; a strong emphasis on inclusion of students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms; block scheduling that allows for more in-depth and…

This digest provides a description of block scheduling and discusses specific advantages, concerns, and considerations of block scheduling and foreign language instruction and learning. Block scheduling is a reorganization of school time that comes in many complex variations, including 4x4 (four blocks of 90 minutes each) and A/B (eight blocks…

Previous research has shown that by varying instructional time, schools can better accommodate students' different rates of learning. One method that schools use to meet this challenge is block scheduling; different models which are described. The focus is on the benefits and disadvantages of various models. One of the benefits is block…

This report describes a program for the exploration of block scheduling. The targeted population consists of high school students in a growing, middle-class community, located in a suburban setting of a large mid-western city. The historical background of block scheduling is documented through data gathered using attendance reports, student…

This document reports that many community colleges are considering changes in their traditional semester calendars. In California, the most common question facing colleges is whether to switch from the traditional (in California) 18-week semester to a 16-week one. This paper details the results of a student and faculty survey conducted at…

Offers experiences related to library media center usage and orientation/instruction that resulted from a change to block scheduling at Lakeview High School (Battle Creek, Michigan). Highlights include increased library use and circulation, and library instruction and orientation that includes print and nonprint media as part of a freshman…

Describes an early field experience program designed to help student teachers develop and enhance reflective thinking skills and value reflections and to model collaborative learning. Data from observations, interviews, and journals indicated that the program enabled student teachers to grapple more effectively with the complexities of the…

Summarizes the results of a study concerning the efficacy of block scheduling for music programs. High school band directors in Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky responded to questionnaires. Results were mixed, although most directors agreed that scheduling works best when music teachers and administrators work together to individualize a schedule.…

This study investigates differences in eighth-grade mathematics students' engagement in standards-based curriculum and instruction practices between block and traditional-schedule schools. Survey data were gathered from 156 middle level mathematics teachers to access the use of standards-based curriculum and instruction practices in their…

The use of four periods in the school day, as opposed to six, with each period 90 minutes in length is referred to as 4 X 4 block scheduling. In Virginia, as in many states, there is increasing interest in this kind of scheduling to deliver education that meets the instructional needs of students. In 1995-96, Western Branch High School (WBHS) of…

This volume offers the educational leader reviews of research on five timely educational issues: citizenship education, multicultural education, gifted and talented education, classroom assessment, and scheduling. The chapters treating citizenship education review both the research about and practice of citizenship education in K-12 schooling.…