4 X 4 Block Scheduling

[LeighEvans@AOL.COM]

My high school is investigating all angles of the 4 X 4 block schedule.  We
are an urban high school of 600 students, about 70 per cent black and 30 per
cent white, in the metro Atlanta area.

The concerns we have so far that I hope some of you can help me with are:

1.  How does the block work relative to JROTC programs, which are defined,
sequential, and, seemingly, with little flexibility?

2.  How about band classes?  Is block scheduling a problem for the band
director, with marching band during football season and symphonic band after
that?

3.  What about classes that involve a year long focus, such as the yearbook
and the newspaper classes?  Would you have two different staffs in the course
of a year?

4.  A big concern for us is the absenteeism issue.  If a student misses a day
under block scheduling, he or she misses much more of a particular class.
 Has anyone seen this as a problem?  Has anyone experienced an improvement in
the absenteeism picture under block scheduling?

Any other thoughts and ideas you can share would be most helpful.


LeighEvans@AOL.com
Leigh Evans, Media Specialist
Decatur High School
Decatur, GA 30030
404-377-6566 home