How Block Scheduling Reform Effects Classroom Practice

Block scheduling has become an increasingly popular reform movement for schools, school districts, and principals to enact. Much of the decision making as to whether to implement some type of block scheduling has occurred without understanding the implications this type of reform has on teachers and their classroom practices. This paper reports on a study conducted in a high school with three contiguous schedule types. Teachers, parents and students perceptions were ascertained to determine the impact of scheduling change on teachers and their classroom practices. Likert scale surveys, interviews, classrooms observations, and text data were used to compile a picture of how and why teachers adjusted to the change in schedule. Four areas of change from the surveys and supported with other qualitative data are reported: 1) methods of instruction, 2) opportunities for reflection, 3) student-teacher rapport, and 4) levels of anxiety. These results are then discussed and compared to the broader view of beneficial changes for block scheduling and the stability of context.