Michael Strembitsky, director of the High Performance Management Program with the National Alliance for Restructuring Education, helps administrators, policymakers, and community leaders work through problems and challenges accompanying decentralization, deregulation, and results-driven reform efforts. He finds that school staff with…

In the Everett (Washington) School District, every practice must contribute to students reaching high standards. Everything is examined through the lens of student learning. The district's ground rules are to keep focused, plan strategically, develop an integrated work plan, create clear decision-making processes, think systemically, be…

An Ohio superintendent's need to contain administrative costs, replace aging buses, and improve his district's financial health prompted consideration of contracting for student transportation. After 2 years of contracting out, students are safer, a $215,000 savings has been realized, the bus drivers (former district employees) are happier, and…

The Cobb County (Georgia) School District, which transports 61,000 students to 88 schools on 763 buses daily, avidly studied privatization possibilities. Since the bus fleet is relatively new and drivers' wages compare favorably with metropolitan Atlanta's, the district concluded it could transport students better and more cheaply. A sidebar lists…

A Washington principal has developed nine strategies to increase parent-teacher conferences' value. Teachers should identify a student's strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing, listening, and speaking; highlight areas where progress is lacking; provide parents with work samples; discuss the student's participation level; and identify growth…

An elementary principal discusses his own son's learning disabilities and explains how schools can engage parents in setting special needs students' individualized education programs. As a parent, he went through four stages: separation anxiety, role confusion, concern about the future, and partnerships with teachers. Educators must recognize each…

A well-crafted school schedule can enhance usage of time, space, and resources; improve instructional climate; help solve instruction-delivery problems; and help establish desired programs and instructional practices. This article discusses scheduling challenges (providing quality time, creating a school climate, and providing varying learning…

More high schools are experimenting with block schedules to provide longer class periods and decrease faculty workload. Since a Colorado Springs high school adopted the new schedule in 1990, daily attendance, honor roll participation, college enrollments, and earned course credits are all higher. Benefits for schools in Maine, Illinois, Ohio,…

One schedule innovation--the four-period day and semester-length courses--is revamping North Carolina and Virginia high schools. At Orange County (Virginia) High School, a simplified and flexible 4-year 9-13 semester-block program is helping kids complete more courses, receive better grades, and take and pass more advanced-placement exams. (MLH)

In fall 1993, a Colorado high school scrapped its traditional semester calendar for a trimester schedule. The school year now has 3 12-week grading periods corresponding to the seasons; the school day has 5 class periods of 70 minutes each. The result: fewer and longer classes, impressively reduced class sizes, more flexibility, and improved…

Collaborative school reform occurs when teachers, parents, students, and administrators creatively design and implement a block schedule. Planners should use a systems approach, secure superiors' support, understand the change process, involve all stakeholders, consult outside resources, brainstorm alternatives, examine budgetary implications,…

Year-long schedules can eliminate summer learning loss. Year-round schools also benefit students with varied learning needs, provide intersession remediation and enrichment opportunities, help second-language students learn English, maintain student interest in learning, feature ongoing extracurricular activities, and offer periodic staff…

Compares time-block scheduling efforts at two Pennsylvania high schools. The small-town school chose a semester-block system; the small rural school chose a trimester arrangement. Despite setbacks arising from changing leadership in one school and changing programs (mastery learning) in the other, the intensive time scheduling projects will…

On Fridays, rather than changing classes, the students at one middle school spend all four team periods with one teacher/adviser as they pursue intensive, independent quarterly learning projects in either science, math, social studies, or English. A program evaluation showed improved student engagement, independent learning, thinking skills, and…

After experimenting with multiyear teaching assignments during the late 1980s, the Attleboro (Massachusetts) Public Schools now require all classroom teachers from grades one through eight to spend two years with their classes. Preschool jitters diminish, kids gain a strong support system, and teachers gain an extra month of teaching time during…