Block Scheduling Groves: Article Analysis

What is your least favorite class, the one you dread most? Picture yourself walking into that class, taking a seat, and watching the clock move slowly as you suffer through the next 90 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly. Imagine being stuck in your least favorite class for an hour and a half! This is a reality that many high school students experience everyday. It is called block scheduling. “Unlike traditional bell schedules - which typically comprise six to eight class periods per day, lasting anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes - block schedules contain just four daily class periods, with each one lasting an average of 90 minutes” (Block Scheduling in Schools 1). Although designed to increase student achievement, block schedules carry

Adding just an extra ten minutes to each class, the new schedule would create the potential for students to have more homework time, lab time, learning time, and/or valuable free time to read for pleasure, relax with music, draw, etc. (Hadfield). Especially as students get older and more involved in extracurriculars and rigorous academic courses, the need for any spare moment to get assignments done, study, or even sleep increases. When this time is unavailable or extremely hard to get, students are more likely to fall asleep in class, miss school due to illness, misbehave, cheat, hand in incomplete assignments, or drop out altogether. The same is largely true for teachers. The more homework turned in by students, the more grading has to be done by teachers who are already exhausted from a long, often repetitive day of work. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the fact that this extra time should not be used to cram in larger quantities of learning standards or homework problems, but rather to enhance the quality of the already demanding school regulations that are in schools

As I was going through the materials for this module I also noticed a lot of similarities between the early 20th and 21st century. I already mentioned it in my post, but I thought the history behind block scheduling was pretty cool. I like how you pointed out that progressive schools and schools today both have vocational education, and while some continue to see students who are in vocational programs/classes as being tracked into them, it is a lot less limiting today than it was then.

Block scheduling does also come with some disadvantages. We will have more homework because we will have two days to do it. Also, with longer class periods the students can become

Many researches inform that sleep affects learning because people organize and absorb information during the REM (rapid-eye- movement) sleep. With an extensive amount of sleep time, students could absorb information more successfully. The effect of delay school start times on academics is obvious. In Finley Edwards’s research, the Wake County School District changed the first bell to an hour later, and this resulted in a three percent increase in both the math and reading standardized test scores. This change affects teenagers, who are most likely to begin puberty, the most. With the data given, teenagers' test grade have the most significant improvement. Also, Edwards finds out that with delayed start time, students use less time on watching television and more time on homework. Being able to sleep-in more improves students’ behaviors. Students are less likely to zone out or fall asleep in class. Absences and tardies decrease too (Edwards). This prevents students from missing information, and they would be able to learn all the knowledge they need in school. In a way, this could affect the world. With more education received, students would become more creative and view the world differently due to a tremendous amount of knowledge gained. They are the world’s future rising stars, and they are the ones that develop more solutions for global issues and improvements on the environment in the future. Students are the next generation of pillars for this country. The more information exposes to them, the brighter the future of this nation. Starting schools later means fewer tardies and absences, which can guarantee that they will absorb a massive amount of knowledge and

In the fast paced world in which we live one can see the trickle down effect of that pace seaping into our school systems. With the mandates No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) brought to the table in 2002 school districts are finding themselves using every spare minute of the day to prepare students for rigorous standardized tests used to not only determine success of the students but also the school and staff. Schools are trying to squeeze more information in an already busy day. When looking at schedules it is a given that children need to eat, forcing schools to not take lunch away, so the only logical solution is to

Block scheduling allows the possibility of relieving excessive stress from students, with lesser classes each day, the homework decreases giving students time for extracurricular activities and leisure. According to school administrators Thomas L. Shortt and Yvonne V. Thayer, the increased time in class contributes positively to the school environment, which include “ student and staff attitudes, the learning environment, building safety and security, expectations for achievement and behavior, and the mode of communication” (Shortt and Thayer). While Shortt and Thayer saw a change in school climate, Eileen M. O'Brien, an independent researcher, discusses in if extra time in classes benefits the students’ academic achievements. Although one meta-analysis of 376 studies shows 88% had a positive relationship

At first glance, developing a master schedule that meets all of the demands facing a school today seems daunting. There are so many critical pieces of best-practices teaching and administrating that need to be addressed and not enough hours in the day to accommodate the demands, or so it appears at first perusal. After careful examination and prioritization, savvy school leaders can and do make successful decisions regarding time allotment, as is witnesses in most high achieving school across our country. When student outcomes are the primary focus that drives the school culture and calendar, it would be difficult to not succeed at this most important task.

Do you really like block periods? Or do you feel that they are a waste of time that wasn’t needed at all. Block scheduling has no advantages and does more harm than good. We all know the block schedule at east but there are different types of schedules. One example is the 4x4 this is where you have one day with all of your classes the whole week and the rest of the week is all block switching every other day. According to Jeff lindsay the average human attention span is 25 minutes which is less than the average block period. While there are some advantages the cons outweigh it.

Despite the overwhelming evidence given by current research, many people refuse to change school start times because of the lack of noticeable impact some schools had or the impact it had on some people’s schedules. Pannoni cites a statement by the Iowa City Community School District which found that “the later start time . . . [did] not reduce the number of tardy students by any appreciable amount.” The principal of Ballard High School agreed by saying that he “would be surprised to see large improvements in either attendance or grade data compared with past years” (Pannoni). Many schools refused to change because of how the later start and dismissal times would affect extracurricular activities and students with jobs. This change would also interfere with bus schedules and childcare habits. However, these seem like small problems that can be overcome when the results are that “later school start times were associated with students sleeping longer at night, less tardiness, having higher test scores, being less depressed, using less caffeine and other drugs, . . . and experiencing fewer morning car crashes” (Fenwick).

In discussions of whether or not schools should start later, one controversial issue has been that it gets in the way of parents work schedules. People who believe that it’s too much of an inconvenience claim that it’s never too soon to start getting used to an early schedule. On the other hand, those who believe schools should start later assert that it’s much better for a student's concentration and overall health. My own view is there are more benefits than negatives and we should really start to consider such a change.

Because block scheduling has become increasingly popular in the past decade, only a few researchers have investigated its effect on academic achievement. In this article, a study was conducted to determine the effects of block scheduling on academic achievement between 115 high school students who received instruction via a 4x4 block schedule and 146 students who received instruction via a traditional schedule. This article showcased the similar typed of schedule CCGA students are currently

According to a report from the New York City district, a school that received funds for longer days fared better on standardized tests. This school had seven percent more students scoring at or above grade level in reading, when two other schools had increases of five and six percent. In math, three percent of students scored at or above grade level in a school with a longer day, compared with one percent for a low performing school and an average of one percent for other schools (Brett 1). This information is one example of many studies that illustrate that long school days have a great positive impact on school performance. The main school goals are improving students’ knowledge and building different skills that will help them in the future. Therefore, if longer school days support these educational goals, people should be concerned about improving schools by lengthening the day.

Scheduling is absolutely one area in education where newer versions are critical. “Why do we need school to run for 13 years, kindergarten through 12th grade, to say that Johnny has graduated?” (Jacobs, 2010, pp. 63). Jacobs (2010) suggests students that need more time for growth before being promoted be given that opportunity while those who are ready for higher education be able to move on.

Since the dawn of the comprehensive American high school, debate has raged over the most effective way to structure or schedule the school year. The schedule of a school can have a major impact on a wide range of areas including student choice and academic performance. When considering this, it is somewhat unusual that the majority of today 's modern American high schools adhere to a semester schedule that dates back to the early 19th century. Some experts believe the school calendar came about as a result of our agricultural past, when youth were required to work on family farms and attend school as well. The agrarian calendar1 consisted of a short winter term and a short summer term, resulting in two distinct breaks from school when kids living in rural, agricultural areas were needed for the harvest, which helps to explain the origins of the semester system. For the past two centuries the American school system has continued to follow this model and many educators continue to believe in it 's value. However, these vestigial connections that continue to link modern schools to this archaic structure no longer hold the merit they once did. Students attending school now, in the 21st century, have different needs and expectations placed upon them. While owners of industry in the early 1800 's needed a cooperative, obedient workforce; business owners of today require technologically savvy individuals who are not afraid to innovate and push the envelope. Why then, are our