Hatboro-Horsham High School Block/Intensive Scheduling A Rebuttal to the Article in the December Issue of the NASSP Bulletin addressed by David S. Hottenstein Principal, Hatboro-Horsham High School AN "UNOBJECTIVE" LOOK AT "OBJECTIVE" MATH RESEARCH INVOLVING BLOCK SCHEDULING When I saw the title on the cover of the December issue of the Bulletin , I felt a rush of eager anticipation. After reading the article entitled "An Objective Look at Math Outcomes Based on New Research into Block Scheduling", I once again shook my head with disappointment. I immediately expressed concern to my colleagues over another failed attempt at fair and conclusive research. Although I applaud the effort, I have feared all along that the educational community in general would repeat past practices and not handle the evaluation of block scheduling fairly, effectively or comprehensively. This study only helped to fuel my burning anxiety. What puzzles me is how as educators we continue to hold school reform to a higher standard than the status quo. In fact, if you take a careful look at the results that our present system of secondary education has yielded, it defies reason that many schools continue to strongly resist change. For years, schools across our nation have shown an inability to change successfully and seldom if ever measure what they do. Any reform initiative, no matter how good or bad, will struggle or fail if schools do not manage the change process effectively. In addition, timing, politics, attitude, leadership, finance, training, philosophy, and teaching techniques are variables, which can be difficult to control and often have a major impact on results at the bottom line. | |
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