Changing Times

Studies show that lengthening class periods is not a proven means of raising standardized test scores.

By Debra Viadero

Jeff Lindsay was a member of a citizens' group in Appleton, Wis., six years ago when a school administrator came to talk to the group about block scheduling. The concept, which involves changing school schedules so that students can have longer periods and fewer classes each day, was new to the group, and the administrator painted it in glowing terms.

"Aren't there any disadvantages?" Lindsay remembers asking. When the educator offered none, Lindsay, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering, went to the research literature to find out for himself.

What he learned, to his dismay, was that there were few large-scale, scientific studies to support the administrator's claims that block scheduling would improve student achievement. A few Canadian studies that Lindsay turned up even suggested the opposite was true. For all the enthusiasm that the local administrator had showered on the concept, Lindsay concluded it offered no guarantee that students learn more when their days...