This paper summarizes findings of the National Education Commission on Time and Learning (NECT&L), which conducted a comprehensive review of the relationship between time and learning in elementary-secondary education. The first section highlights salient research findings. The following sections provide information on these topics: general…

This study, the third in a series of reports, is limited to an analysis of the energy use and cost implications of nine school calendars proposed by the New York State Department of Education. These calendars are characterized as (1) traditional; (2) ten-month school year; (3) mid-August start, two semesters; (4) four-day week; (5) four-day, 7.5…

This publication describes the development and operation of the scheduling plan developed by the Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, school system. The plan, designed to maximize the use of available facilities and to expand the curriculum offering, combines a fifty-hour instructional week, alternative learning opportunities throughout the community, an…

In November 1994, the U.S. Department of Education invited a group of exceptional public and private school teachers (n=114) to Washington, D.C., to hear their thoughts and to explore ways in which the federal government can work with educators to achieve the National Education Goals. The teachers centered on two dimensions of the time challenge:…

Colorado's 22 school districts on a four-day week schedule, as authorized by Colorado Senate Bill 78, show comparable student achievement levels as those on a five-day schedule; support from parents, teachers; and students; improved energy savings and/or time savings; and cost savings. Five other possible benefits are listed. (LC)

Taking advantage of legislation permitting modified school calendars, the four-day work week has been implemented by 23 small, rural Colorado school districts representing 5,200 children. Thirteen districts implemented the four-day program in the 1980-81 school year. Ten additional districts applied as first year pilot programs in the 1981-82…

Two plant utilization strategies have been implemented by the Dade County Public Schools: the extended school day and the extended school year. The 10-hour extended day plan increases the capacity of a school facility by approximately 75 percent by dividing the school enrollment into two equal groups and dividing the day into two equal sessions.…

Some school reform programs, such as the "Copernican Plan," advocate long blocks of classroom instruction time to allow greater instructional flexibility and active student participation in classroom work. This study investigated the effectiveness of this strategy by examining the perceptions of high school teachers who were entering or…

This publication offers suggestions for making more productive use of time, a scarce and valued educational resource. The chapter authors, authorities on the use of educational time, write about how to extend and enhance learning time within and outside schools. In "Productive Use of Time," Herbert Walberg describes how learning time can be…

An evaluation was conducted at Florida Junior College (FJC) of the four-day operational week implemented during May through August, 1981. Surveys were administered in May and July to day students, full-time teaching faculty, and full-time noninstructional staff to determine their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the four-day week.…

The effectiveness of a seven-period schedule for a rural high school (grades 8 through 12) in southwestern Virginia was studied. Seventy-six faculty members and 977 students were surveyed during the 1985-86 school year. Results--presented separately on students, faculty, and budgetary concerns--indicate that the schedule was viable. (TJH)

The purpose of a comprehensive study of the design of the school calendar in Virginia was to identify the quality and quantity of allocated time and the amount of time spent and needed for student learning as factors determining the impact of instructional time on educational quality. Synthesizing available research and new surveys and interviews,…

The National Education Commission on Time and Learning (NECT&L) is an independent advisory body authorized by Congress through Public Law 102-62, the Education Council Act of 1991. The commission is undertaking a comprehensive review of the relationship between time and learning in elementary and secondary education, including international…

The purpose of this research investigations was to determine whether a student daily schedule and school calendar could be designed to maximize the future utilization of existing facilities in the North Allegheny School District and to determine if the implementation of such designs would be financially feasible as an alternative to new…

This paper describes and evaluates an alternate day-full day kindergarten program. Through the use of Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) scores and surveys, two kindergarten groups were compared. One group attended school for a half-day daily; the other attended all day on alternate days, but for a comparable length of time. A summary of survey…