Having block scheduling is one of the main concerns of the Aldine Independent School District. Block scheduling is when students have half of their classes one day and the other half the next. There has been some complaints about how block scheduling decreases students’ focus, but there has also been many compliments about how it improves students’ education. Michael D. Rettig, President of School Scheduling Associates, states that more schools are considering block scheduling and more than thirty percent of schools in the country already have it [bandwagon]. The Aldine Independent School District has made the reasons remarkably clear as to why they have switched to block scheduling and they are: better test scores, better grades, and improvement of teacher-student interaction. One of the main reasons why schools are switching to block scheduling is because students receive higher test scores on standardized tests. Having only forty-five to fifty minutes of class is difficult to take a test meant for one hour and thirty minutes. With the new scheduling, students are able to take their time on tests and not rush through them. Many students have a problem focusing during tests, and with the extra time students don’t have to worry about not finishing in time. Chance W. Lewis and R. Brian Cobb, a part of the School of Education at Colorado State University, along with two others, have conducted an investigation on how block scheduling effects high school scores on the ACT. The results indicate that students with block scheduling actually have the higher scores on the ACT in mathematics and reading than students with regular schedules. This proves that students concentrate more on their academic subjects, become more producti... ... middle of paper ... ... we just keep them stressed and tired everyday [rhetorical question]? If more schools switched to block scheduling, people would notice a difference in the student’s grades and also the teacher’s attitudes. N.L. Dorwin states that teachers are even happier with the new scheduling. Flexibility in the classroom, less homework for students and fewer classes being prepared for, teachers found the classroom to be a more relaxing environment. Teachers find it helpful that they are able to finish their lesson plans on time and that they can answer students’ questions as well. In conclusion, block scheduling is the new and improved way to keep students passing all of their classes. In my opinion, the Aldine Independent School District has made a great choice to switch from regular scheduling to block scheduling. It is evidently best for both students and for teachers.
Year round school or the modified school year is a rearrangement of the traditional school year to provide the students with continuous learning throughout the school year. Students receive the same amount of instructional time as a traditional school. In year round schools, the instructional time is balanced without of school time more evenly. (Winter, 2005) The National Association for Year Round Schooling defines it as “a schedule which contains no break lasting longer than eight weeks-schools are able to keep their students in constant learning mode, and are able to use the intersessions between periods of schooling to address the problems of students who are falling behind.” (St. Gerard, 2007, pg. 57) There are three common tracks of year round schooling. They are the single track, multitrack, and extended year. The single track is scheduled throughput the year into intersessions which allow time for enrichment or red-mediation. The multitrack is used to help schools reduce overcrowding. The school divides the teachers and students into groups of an equal size. Each group has its own schedule. One group is on intercession while the other is in school. The extended year increases the amount of time spent in schools from 180 days to as many as 240 days a year. (McGlynn, 2002)
Students who are enrolled in a year-round school attend school for 180 days, the same number of days as students on a traditional calendar schedule. A year-round school calendar is formulated into nine-week quarters. Each quarter is separated by a three-week break called an intersession. There is still a summer vacation , but at four or five weeks, it is less than half that of a traditional school summer break, and does not provide enough time for students to completely forget what they learned all year. This solution actually reduces the problem. This school system has been proven to have positive effects on student achievement, especially for students with learning disabilities. The goal of year-round schooling is to create continuous or extended learning by adding hours to the days and days to the year. According to the benefits of year round education article, “Fifty years ago, most American households were supported by a working father, while mothers were expected to stay at home. However, the women’s movement of the 1970’s combined with the rise in divorce rate and the high cost of living, lead to a decline of stay at home mothers.”First, The shorter vacations implemented by year-round education and intersession are helpful to today’s working parents because it is a less expensive alternative to daycare or summer camps. Also, parents and teachers can schedule vacations
K., & Tesser, A. (1991). Effects of time-management practices on college grades. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 83(3), 405-410. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.83.3.405
Students often are involved in after school activities which, between school and the activities they hardly have any time to do homework and study. The article “Highschool Pressure” by Rachel D. states “We result to quickly completing homework and we do not receive any educational value from it. Also, we may not have any time to study at all, which would result in a failing grade.” Second, students are pressured which can cause students to lose focus in class. The article “Highschool Pressure” also states “long school hours puts much pressure on students. We may tend to slack off which could be harmful for their education in the long run.” Third, since all classes usually take a while to start it would not harm the students learning by taking a couple of minutes off of each class. Another statement in “Highschool Pressure” is “by cutting time out of the school day, the students education level would not be hurt. The students would be able to retain the same information within an hour or half an hour.” A shortened school schedule would improve learning by giving them more time to study and complete
One of the primary motivations for adopting the four-day week is financial savings for the school district. Anticipated savings are in transportation, food and food service workers, hourly workers and utilities. Savings on school buses and long-term building wear and tear have also been reported. After analyzing Colorado schools operating on four-day school weeks, (Dam) reports that transportation costs can be reduced by 20%. He goes on to say that in order to realize that level of savings, schools must severely limit transportation for activities or programs not conducted on regular school days. The capital, insurance, maintenance, and administrative costs remain relatively constant. Fuel, oil, salaries, and supervisory costs can be reduced. Transportation employees will also have a reduction in net pay (Dam, 2006). In food service, (Dam) finds that if districts are funding their food service from the general fund, 20% of that subsidy may be saved since the program runs only four days. However, he does go on to say that certain fixed costs within this category will remain the same. Utility savings, he observes, may be comparable to those of a three-day weekend if the buildings are closed and actually placed on weekend cycle. However, he notes that most school buildings are left open for extra activities and the use of staff (Dam, 2006). (Hewitt and Denny) indicate savings achieved with a four-day school week vary greatly from district to district, depending on the constancy they adhere to cost saving measures. If the school facilities are completely shut down on the non-school day the saving will be greater than if buildings are left open for student and staff use. While financial savings are the main factor motivating the initi...
One of the most stressful aspects of high school and ultimately college is the ability (or lack thereof) to form good study habits. One may often hear the dramatic tale of a college student staying up all night in order to receive a good grade on his or her test the following morning. This student either completely fails the test, or does really well. These results depend on the students themselves and their ability to study in this manner. In this essay, I will compare and contrast fellow two of the most popular forms of studying—periodic and cramming—in an effort to allow high school students to effectively choose which form may best work for them.
This is the perfect equilibrium between too early and too late. A start time at 8:30 allows for a hypothetical extra hour of sleep for a student but also ensures that the school day will not drag on too long in the afternoon. This shift in start time will have a resounding impact on students’ performance in school as well as their personal well-being. A recent study conducted with the cooperation of eight schools affirms this proclamation concluding, “In a recent study of eight U.S. high schools that delayed their start times, researchers found improvements in kids ' grades, attendance and car crash rates”. (Norton). If Brookwood is truly committed to the tradition of excellence they claim, then this statistic alone should be enough persuasion to make the change. Students who get adequate sleep are in turn healthier, more enthusiastic learners which any high school should strive to have. Another reason that shifting the initial start time of Brookwood High School would be beneficial centers around the concept that there are particular hours in the day that students are proven to be
Too much time is being devoted to preparing students for standardized tests. Parents should worry about what schools are sacrificing in order to focus on raising test scores. Schools across the country are cutting back on, or even eliminating programs in the arts, recess for young children, field trips, electives for high school students, class meetings, discussions about current events, the use of literature in the elementary grades, and entire subject areas such as science (if the tests cover only language arts and math) (Kohn Standardized Testing and Its Victims 1).
Twelve Mondays each year are used for teacher planning, this allows them the benefit of not having to meet after school very often. During these Mondays teachers have time for meetings just within the grades they teach, and they have time to form research teams and other committees (Yarbrough and Gilman). These teacher planning groups are add-ons that some schools maybe wouldn’t get the opportunity to have if not for the extra planning day. There’s proof in the pudding; the more time teacher’s have to plan, the better they are at doing their jobs. One district compared their tests on comprehension from the spring of 2002-03, when they were doing a five-day schedule, to the spring of 2004-05, when they ran a four-day week. These tests showed that scores for 3rd and 9th graders improved in all areas tested. Out of all academic achievements ACT scores definitely have the most riding on them. “Merryville’s district spokesperson Daniele LeMarie said, ‘ACT scores are above state averages and have raised from 18.7 with the five-day week to 20 with the new schedule.’” (Chmelynski). Just this news seemed to boost parents attitudes towards the switch, and it even had a positive effect on the kids thoughts on the
Brett, Jennifer. “8 to 5 Some Educators Like Barnes’ Latest Plan to Improve Schools by Lengthening the Day.” The Atlanta Journal –
School should be four days a week with an extra hour added to each school day because it would save money for the school system, increase student motivation, stimulate the economy, and promote student achievement. There has been a decrease in education due to the small amount of resources, causing classrooms to be bigger and children not being able to extend their knowledge. Even though the economy has been falling, each school district has been working hard to promote student education, which could mean trading a traditional school schedule for a four-day school week. Replacing a normal school schedule for the four day school week can raise the school budget tremendously. (Hart, Demand Media).
The major obstacle for most districts, especially larger systems, is that starting times for schools are intertwined with transportation schedules for elementary, middle and high school students. Rearranging start times may disrupt carefully crafted bus schedules and raise the costs of getting students to and from school. But it’s hard for educators to ignore scientific data, and the effects of no sleep can have on students. Some school systems have taken steps to follow the recommendations, at least at the high school level.
Many people are resistant to change, especially if it involves reassembling their plans and procedures to adjust to the new schedule. This is a problem for parents’ work schedules since they most likely will not be able to see their kids in the morning which will leave students unsupervised when they get ready. This is also a problem for transportation since parents will not be able to take their kids to school which might cause traffic and more costs since bus schedules would change too. According to the Sleep Foundation, "If elementary students have the earliest start times, they may be waiting for the bus in the dark early mornings, or waiting at home alone after school." Later start times are thought to solve tardies and absences, but if students cannot get to school, it does not solve anything. A change in the school schedule will result in disorder in many people’s daily routines perhaps having to discard certain activities to fully adjust to the new schedule. The changes caused by a new schedule affects students
Most children attend school for about 6.5 hours per day. Some people argue that this not enough time for children to master key concepts while others say that children spend too much time in school and on homework which leaves them little time for family or fun activities. “There are many benefits to year-round schooling—including consistency, less time spent relearning material, and the implications that year-round schooling has for closing the achievement gap” (Lynch, 2016, par. 1). Currently, more than 700 schools have extended their day. Massachusetts extended their school day so that it was 8 hours and found that they went up 44 percent in math,19 percent in science, and 39 percent in language arts (“Should students spend more time in
...s rarely notify to students when there's some change in schedule. We students just get up early, go to class and are told that now we have no class as usual. That's so trivial but that annoys many people. If we do not have a strict policy, then no more getting up early, no more hustle and bustle on bus and no more waste time like this. Furthermore, teachers may have more free time if students just stay at home and do homework. They just sit at the table with a Internet-connected computer and communicate with their students via email or such thing. Then they will have more time for scientific research - is it more productive? Vietnam now has very few scientists - many of whom just rush in teaching and be trapped with heave work-load. If we relieve the policy, then we will have more part-time scientists-that are teachers.