ives students less time to simply idle about, which elevates the risk of students being disruptive. Moreover, the view is that block scheduling will benefit teachers by allowing them more useable instructional time each day. The effect of block scheduling in terms of improving instruction are also said to motivate students.
According to Creamean, Lightle and Jeffrey (2000), there has not been a sufficient number of studies on the use of block scheduling at the elementary school level to provide a definitive answer as to its effectiveness at the lower grade levels. However, it can be noted here that there has been some research which appears to show promise.
For example, Lewis (1999) states that research has shown that the use of block scheduling at all school levels, including the elementary school level, does indeed operate to provide less fragmentation of learning. Moreover, it tends to increase studentsÆ academic performance, most especially in the areas of reading and math, and lower the incidence of disciplinary problems. Nonetheless, Lewis cautions that different schools have different needs and block scheduling may not be appropriate for all of them.
Lewis (1999) also notes that clear differences in the effectiveness of block scheduling have been found in association with the extent to which a principal and/or the administrative team provides full support. The greater the support of the principal, the more effective are block scheduling programs. Without administrative support and assistance, Lewis states that schools will likely not reap the maximal benefits of block schedul
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