Block Scheduling Is More Beneficial for High School Students

Question

This article, published by the National Education Association, claims that the block schedule (A/B days with 80-90 min classes) is more beneficial to high school students' psyche as it allows for more flexibility in their school day. Traditionally, high school students stuck to a the same schedule every day with multiple classes and 40-50 min class times. 

"Pope says a block schedule creates a "saner school day" by slowing down the pace, reducing homework and freeing up more time for hands-on learning and collaboration"

Answer 1

A report done by Karen Irmsher concluded that though there are disadvantages to the block scheduling system, such as requiring the teachers to change their curriculum and an opposition to the change, there were numerous benefits to the new system. Some of the benefits included "a more relaxed school atmosphere, improved student attitudes, improved student-teacher relationships, decreased dropout rates, decreased absenteeism, a dramatic drop in disciplinary problems, and accelerated student progress" ("Block Scheduling in High Schools"). Overall, the benefits seem to outweigh the disadvantages, and the article also suggests actions people could take to create a smoother transition into the block scheduling system. 

ERIC - ED399673 - Block Scheduling in High Schools., OSSC Bulletin, 1996-Jul

Answer 2

Block scheduling certainly has its benefits. It allows for teachers to have more time with their students at once. They are able to be more hands on and work with their students more. It also allows for a smoothing day. Less passing periods and more class time. However, blocking allows for less breaks. It forces students to utilize longer attention spans. This may cause them to take in less of the information that they are given. Movement and mental breaks are very necessary to reset and get ready to focus again. It is especially important for young kids. An article on the importance of brain breaks states that brain breaks are "meant to be quick and easy-a short break anywhere from three to five minutes can be enough to reset the mind and get students ready to learn." Brain breaks are important to students so that they can keep good focus. 

https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/brain-break-ideas

Answer 3

I found this study from 2022 that found that high school students found block scheduling to be helpful in preparing them for college. The study says "all focus group and individual survey participants indicated that they supported and would recommend block scheduling for all." This study supports the claim that block scheduling is more beneficial for high school students.

https://scholar.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1447&context=theses_dissertations

Answer 4

This article's claim that block schedules are more beneficial for high school students seems to be true. The word "beneficial" is pretty broad and can apply to a lot of different parts of students' lives, so it can't fully be proven true. This claim is relating it mostly to stress caused by hectic schedules with 8 classes in a day, and the article is claiming that block schedules work to alleviate that stress. The article itself was published by the National Education Association, a known organization that is pretty reliable as a source. All the sources within the article were primary and quotes were directly taken from them. They included teachers who were interviewed about the change in schedule at their school, founders of education programs/organizations, and other experts, so there is no other direct article to fact-check. After looking up articles with similar claims, there seems to be a consensus that the slowed schedule creates less homework, more time for student and teacher engagement, and more efficiency/effectiveness in the curriculum, all of which create less stress for students, which supports this claim.

https://educationadvanced.com/resources/blog/the-block-schedule-system-7-pros-and-3-cons/

https://www.oxfordlearning.com/causes-of-school-stress/