Many educators in schools using block schedules say that overall school climate improves as students and teachers spend more concentrated time with one another. This is particularly true of block plans that reduce the number of students teachers see during a given term, as the trimester-based schedule used by Independence does. Discipline problems have dropped at many of the schools using block schedules. Under a traditional schedule, students and teachers at Wasson High School rushed from class to class, contributing to a stressful climate, says Schoenstein. That's not to say that adopting a block schedule is problem-free.
Educators adopting various block schedules report several challenges.
One is ensuring that the instruction offered in block classes is appropriate for the longer format. Although longer classes support instructional innovation, they don't necessarily result in it, says Shortt. In his school, many teachers used different strategies in longer classes, but other teachers would give a lecture and then allow students to do homework, turning the course into an impromptu study hall. Students' attitudes toward block scheduling reflect how effective they perceived their teachers to be, says Canady. Canady and others say that staff development on instructional techniques and curriculum development is critical to the success of block plans.