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CAREI > Current Projects > Block Scheduling

Research & Resources - Resources by Type Page 1

Research findings assessing block scheduling:

Blocking the School Schedule: Potential for Instructional Change (UCEA November 2001)
For seven years, researchers at the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, have been conducting evaluations of block scheduling for school districts across Minnesota and Wisconsin. Thirty-six high schools and 14 middle/junior high schools have requested some or all of the following evaluation methods: teacher, student, or parent surveys; classroom observation; or focus groups of teachers, students, or parents.

• Report (in print/save friendly versions)
  • RTF format (246 Kb)
  • PDF format (82 Kb)
• Partial example student survey report for Midwest High School, Carol Freeman, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), University of Minnesota, 1996-2000 data.
• Partial example teacher survey report for Midwest High School, Carol Freeman, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI), University of Minnesota, 1996-2000 data.
• Report Study of the Four Period Schedule for Anoka-Hennepin NO.11, Carol Freeman, University of Minnesota, December 1995. The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) offers a comprehensive research report including; a summary discussion, data presented in easy-to-read tables and graphs, and interview data.
• Kansas statewide study:  The Effect of Block Scheduling on Mathematics Achievement in High and Low SES Secondary Schools, Glenn R. Walker, University of Kansas degree of Doctor of Education.
• Studies on block scheduling and foreign languages are found on this site with other information about foreign languages.
• Block Scheduling in Texas Public High Schools, published by the Texas Education Agency Office of Policy Planning and Research Division of Research and Evaluation, September 1999.
• British Columbia Teachers' Federation has a variety of studies on scheduling.
• North Carolina 4x4 Study of end-of-course exams for 1997 finds no difference comparing raw scores of semester block and non-block schools.  For comparison of end-of course test scores for blocked and non-blocked high schools for 1994-1998. (No longer available online)
• Oregon State Dept of Education compared student  performance at block scheduling schools throughout the state. 1996.
• The College Board reports its research on AP exams and block scheduling.  (Use the Search engine to locate information on "block scheduling".) 

Schools evaluating their own programs:

• PA: West Shore School District (Cedar Cliff  and Red Land High Schools) .  This school has completed four (4) years of intensive study of their block schedule with qualitative and quantitative data.
• VA: Orange County High School, Orange, implemented its 4x4 block schedule in the 1993-94 school term. To determine the success of their restructuring and improvement efforts which began in the 1980's, school officials assembled a broad array of data and statistics.
• IN: Angola High School, studied school statistics before and after the block.

Debate: on the "Canadian study"

Canadian Studies Questioned. By Clarence M. Edwards, Jr., Virginia Internet High School.

 

Jeff Lindsay's Case Against Block Scheduling site is very long, and defends Bateson's study.

 

Residents for Quality Education by Residents for Quality Education in Wallingford, PA has links to research, including the British Columbia math and science assessment report by David Bateson.

Books

Canady, R. L. and Rettig, M. D. Teaching in the Block: Strategies for Engaging Active Learners. Princeton, N. J.: Eye on Education. (Eye on Education, c1996) 300 p., $41.95, ISBN 1-883001-23-4.

Carroll, Joseph. The Copernican Plan Evaluated: The Evolution of a Revolution. (Copernican Associates, c1994) 168 p., $24.95, ISBN 0-9641442-0-4.

Kosanovic, G. E. (1994). Retooling the Instructional Day: A Collection of Scheduling Models. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals, Phone:703-860-7227.

Sizer, T. R. (1985). Horaces's Compromise. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Action Research on Block Scheduling, by David Marshak at Seattle University. Eye on Education: Larchmont, NY. ISBN 1-883001-40-4. Eye on Education, 6 Depot Way West, Suite 106, Larchmont, NY, 10538. (914) 833-0551.

A number of books about block scheduling, particularly by Robert Lynn Canady and Michael D. Rettig can be purchased through the publisher's web site, Eye on Education.

Books about block scheduling can be ordered from Performance Learning Systems, Inc.

Papers

Fogarty, Robin J. Think About Block Scheduling (Skylight Training & Publishing, 1995) 24 p., $5.00, ISBN 1-57517-006-X.

Munroe, M. J. (1989) Block Scheduling: Successful Alternative Format Addressing Learner Needs. A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators.

Reports

Cawelty, G. (1994) High School Restructuring: A National Study. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.

National Education Commission on Time and Learning. Prisoners of Time Research: What We Know and What We Need To Know. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Sept , 1994. 60 pages. ED 378685.

United States Department of Education, Adapting Organizations to Increase Learning: Raising the Educational Achievement of Secondary School Students - Volume 1 Summary of Promising Practices -Summer, 1995. Prepared by Policy Studies Associates.

Journal Articles

You may want to look for these publications. They are not available on-line.

Bateson, David J. Science Achievement in Semester and All-Year Courses, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, March 1990.

Blai, B. (1986). Educational Reform: It's About 'Time. ' Clearinghouse, 60(1), 38-40.

Buckman, Daniel C. Block Scheduling: A Means to Improve School Climate. NASSP Journal, May 1995)

Carroll, J. M. (1990). The Copernican Plan: Restructuring the American High School., Phi Delta Kappan, 71(5), 358-365.

Carroll, J. M. (1994). The Copernican Plan Evaluated: The evolution of a Revolution. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(2), 105-113.

Cawelty, G. (1994) High School Restructuring: A National Study. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.

Cushman, K. (1989). Schedules That Bind. American Educator, 13(2), 35-39.

Edwards, C. M. (1993). The Four-Period Day: Restructuring To Improve Student Performance. NASSP Bulletin, 77(553), 77-88.

Forehand, L. & Watkins, J. D. (1979). A Scheduling Model For Today's High School. Phi Delta Kappan, 60(10), 749-750.

Munroe, M. J. (1989) Block Scheduling: Successful Alternative Format Addressing Learner Needs. A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators.

National Education Commission on Time and Learning. Prisoners of Time Research: What We Know and What We Need To Know. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Sept , 1994. 60 pages. ED 378685.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Rural Education Program. Literature Search on the Question: What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Scheduling Options for Small Secondary Schools High Schools and Middle School. Portland, OR. January ,1990. 24 pages. ED 329385.

Raphael, Dennis. Debunking the Semesterizing Myth. Canadian Journal of Education, Winter 1996.

Raywid, M. A. (1994). Alternative Schools: The State of the Art. Educational Leadership, 52(1), 26-31.

Scherer, M. (1994). On Schools Where Students Want to Be: A Conversation with Deborah Meier. Educational Leadership, 52(1), 4-8.

Strock, Gerald E., and Davud S. Hottenstein. The First-Year Experience: A High School Restructures Through Copernican Plan. The School Administrator 51,3 (March 1994): 30-31. EJ 481309.

Strugis, Jeffrey. Flexibility Enhances Student Achievement. NASSO AP Special: The Newsletter for Assistant Principals, 10,4 (Summer 1995): 1-2.

United States Department of Education, Adapting Organizations to Increase Learning : Raising the Educational Achievement of Secondary School Students - Volume 1 Summary of Promising Practices - 1995. Prepared by Policy Studies Associates.

Is Block Scheduling the Wave of the Future? The Interactive Teacher, Vol. l, Number 4. Wasson High School block scheduling.

Watts, Gary D. The Time Dilemma in School Restructuring. Phi Delta Kappan, December 1993.

Willis, S. (1993). Are Longer Classes Better? ASCD Update, 35(3), 1, 3.

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