The practice of matching texts to readers is one that many teachers use and yet one that can become rigid and cumbersome with everyday classroom use. Here we discuss concerns about leveling and propose that by observing and listening to the students in our classes we can develop more powerful ways with leveled texts.

The largest issue for schools is not extending the school day or year--as useful as those policies might be--but of meeting time requirements within the constraints of the budgets and personnel given them. Policy makers rarely understand how their policies impact practice. Author Marilyn Crawford suggests a policy-talks-to-practice strategy that…

In this article, the authors discuss the advantages of block scheduling and how it can be an effective educational tool when faced with educational challenges. Block schedules can ease the transition from the homelike atmosphere of the elementary school to the departmentalized environment of the high school by reducing the need for constant class…

Providing a high quality instructional program where the needs of students are met and preparing them for success in the world beyond the high school are paramount in developing a school's master schedule. Throughout the past, there have periodic movements to extend the school day and year in order to better meet these goals. What research has…