Block Scheduling's Success Formula

School Administrator, March, 1999 by David S. Hottenstein

Modifying time in school effectively boils down to a six-step recipe

The first and foremost thing any school system leader needs to know about block scheduling is that, as a reform initiative, it is not singular in concept or design. When educators try to simplify a complex issue they may not fully understand, they often subject a promising idea to negative labels and stereotyping before it even has a chance to reach its full potential or to be evaluated.

Administrators and school board leaders must take the time to research the diverse scheduling alternatives available and assess how each one will affect facility, class size, educational resources, technology, teacher/student ratio, professional development, curriculum, school climate, student/teacher performance and, most importantly, student achievement.

Selecting the right time configuration for your school and tailoring the schedule to meet the academic needs of all students should be the goal. Block scheduling is only the means to get there.

At the outset, school leaders must assess the strengths and weaknesses of its present schedule and set out to build a better one by involving all key stakeholders. Your motivation should not be cosmetic or trendy, but rather a commitment to improve your school system on an ongoing basis. Keep in mind that different block-scheduling concepts yield various results. These concepts can be altered and adjusted into hybrids (variations of the core themes) that will help you deal with local priorities, existing realities and program nuances.

Over the past eight years, I have found firsthand that the greatest strength of block scheduling is its flexibility. The concept of using time and organization as a catalyst to improve efficiency, productivity and quality control have been implemented successfully for decades in business and other institutions across the world.

Commitment to Change

The recipe for success includes the following six steps:

* No. 1: The organization must believe change for the sake of ongoing school improvement is needed.

We know our society is changing radically and that our students will need to function as workers, family members and citizens. Educational leaders must realize that the one constant in this world (like it or not) is change!

Learn to manage change by developing a process that will take you from theory to practice successfully. Commit to a well-organized and coordinated approach to solving problems. Do not be afraid of change, but don't be reckless either. Develop a vehicle that will measure both qualitative and quantitative factors inside your schools and maintain a fair process for accountability. Remember, if it is measured, it will be done!

* No. 2: Involve all the key stakeholders early on in the process of change.

Too many schools fail to realize the importance of comprehensive involvement in the change process. The stakeholders should be well informed (meetings, newsletters, etc.) and should participate actively, for example, by serving on committees, making visits to outside schools or attending pertinent workshops. If the stakeholders help build the new schedule, they are more likely to have ownership and will commit to supporting the revised time configuration.

* No. 3: Select the right schedule for your system.

Make sure you decide what must remain intact (program priorities, such as music or Advanced Placement courses) and identify your existing realities (lunch, busing, etc.). Also be sure to take a close look at what will be affected when you move from a traditional schedule to a block schedule. Will you need more classrooms, teachers and supplies or less? Depending on which schedule you select, many variables can be affected, both positively and negatively. Decide what you want to improve most and provide for it through the new time configuration.

Infusing New Ideas

* No. 4: Develop clear expectations for what you expect to improve inside the classroom.

These expectations should be developed constantly by the key stakeholders. Longer blocks of time will provide for interactive approaches, shifting methods three or four times each class, integrating technology, engaging students in their own learning and using different types of assessment that are aligned clearly with the curriculum are just some of the goals to consider.

Getting teachers to balance traditional approaches with innovative techniques will only happen consistently if effective professional development programs are planned and implemented. Schools must realize that a flow of new ideas into the system is critical to helping our academic programs and curriculum delivery systems stay on the cutting edge.

* No. 5: Go from theory (your new schedule) to practice (implementation) successfully.

Most school systems do not realize that the manner in which we manage the change process is as important as the reform concept itself. Educators traditionally have not changed frequently, rapidly or efficiently. This trend is primarily responsible for our infatuation with the status quo. Schools that have had the most success with block scheduling usually have done the best job of handling the change process effectively.