This booklet is part of a series of reports on "hot topics" in education. It explores alternative school schedules as ways to make education be the best it can for all students. Block scheduling, 4-day school weeks, and year-round education are alternative scheduling methods that generate interest in schools in the northwestern United States and around the country. The data that would reinforce claims of the effectiveness of these schedule changes is relatively inconclusive at this time, but many districts that are adopting these new schedules are finding many advantages. Benefits, concerns, and implementation issues are outlined for each of these approaches to nontraditional school schedules. The alternative schedules of seven schools in the northwestern United States are described. (Contains 31 references.) (SLD)