The Complete Handbook of Block Scheduling.The Complete Handbook of Block Scheduling Block scheduling is a type of academic scheduling in which each student has fewer classes per day for a longer period of time. This is intended to result in more time for teaching due to less time wasted due to class switching and preparation. , by Thomas Shortt and Yvonne Thayer, probably would get its best use in the hands of your high school principal or someone in your central office responsible for improving instruction in your secondary schools. That said, however, as a superintendent of a small district, I found the handbook an easy read and a potential tool with which I might direct a review of the time structure in our high school. The authors are colleagues at the Virginia Department if Education. As a high school principal, Shortt developed the first block schedule used in a Virginia public school. Thayer was an assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. who helped to implement a block schedule. The two have worked internationally as consultants on block scheduling. The authors ground this handbook solidly in current change literature and frequently reference such gurus as Tom Peters and Peter Drucker Peter Ferdinand Drucker (November 19, 1909–November 11, 2005) was a writer, management consultant and university professor. His writing focused on management-related literature. and total quality giants such as W. Edwards Deming William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900–December 20, 1993) was an American statistician, college professor, author, lecturer, and consultant. Deming is widely credited with improving production in the United States during World War II, although he is perhaps best known for , making the handbook a great way to review principles of the change process. The handbook presents ample references to studies that tie this reform strategy to what we know about change and to how block scheduling may or may not contribute to improvement of student performance. The authors are almost compulsive com·pul·sive adj. Caused or conditioned by compulsion or obsession. n. A person with behavior patterns governed by a compulsion. compulsive the state of being subject to compulsion. about making that clear: Improved student performance is the bottom line of any successful school reform strategy. Shortt and Thayer provide useful examples from the field about block scheduling. Especially valuable are actual daily schedules and a 21-month timeline for planning and implementation. Strategically placed throughout each chapter are short accounts of actual experiences. These are excellent little aids that illustrate specific points. (The Complete Handbook of Block Scheduling, by Thomas Shortt and Yvonne Thayer, TechNet Press, Box A, Bloomington, Ind. 47402, 1999, 295 pp., $39.95 softcover soft·cov·er adj. Not bound between hard covers: softcover books; a softcover edition. ) |
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