Increasing knowledge integration has gained wide-spread support as an important goal in engineering education. The Chemical Engineering Pillars curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh, unique for its use of block scheduling, is one of the first four-year, integrated curricula in engineering, and is specifically designed to facilitate knowledge…

About 20 years ago, a number of Yukon schools took a different approach to outdoor education and outdoor pursuits. During the 1970s and 1980s, most Yukon high schools and junior high schools offered a course called Outdoor Education. These courses fit into the conventional blocks in a school timetable. Outdoor activities longer than these blocks…

When learning, students yearn for meaning, challenge, and relevance. Integrated learning fulfills these desires by limiting the compartmentalization of learning--providing a more coherent learning environment. Too often, mathematics and the physical sciences are taught as separate entities. Yet, many commonalities exist, especially between…

Although parallel block scheduling continues to benefit student learning, it is challenged to meet the needs of new educational programs, particularly whole language and interdisciplinary instruction. Two illustrated blocks show how teachers can effectively divide their time between whole-group and small-group instruction and integrate science and…

Grades from 112 students in 3 business courses integrated in block format were compared with those of 151 other business majors. High achievers did not self-select into blocks. Grading rigor did not suffer and grades were more correlated in block presentation, possibly because of content integration. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Practice Guide, "Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades" addresses the challenge of providing effective literacy instruction for English learners in the elementary grades. The Guide offers five specific recommendations for district…

This study compared the performance of two groups of preservice teachers at Kentucky's Morehead State University. One group had taken four of their methods courses (reading, language arts, social studies, and mathematics) in an integrated fashion from four faculty members. This group was termed the block group. The other group (the nonblock group)…

This paper describes a pilot program at the City University of New York Brooklyn College which pairs an English as a Second Language (ESL) reading and writing class with a Calculus I class. The class focuses on students' language development but makes use of themes, readings, and vocabulary from calculus. This model requires coordination before…

Pasadena (California) High School's Puente Pilot Project encourages Hispanic students to pursue college and return home as leaders and mentors. A bilingual counselor, community liaison, and English teacher engage students in an integrated curriculum relevant to their life experiences. Portfolio exhibitions involving oral presentation and…

An Effective Rural Schools delivery model for small rural high schools was developed by teachers, parents, community members, and principals in a southwestern Alaska district. The model aimed to replace the typical "bush" high school model with effective resource management and delivery strategies that would work in small high schools.…

This 23rd volume of "English Leadership Quarterly" contains articles on topics of interest to those in positions of leadership in departments (elementary, secondary, or college) where English is taught. Each issue focuses on a different theme. Articles in Volume 23 Number 1 are: "Block Scheduling and Student Achievement"…

Describes a pilot curriculum at the Peddie School, an independent preparatory school in rural New Jersey, designed to achieve cost-effective school reform through technology. Elements include student use of laptop computers, cooperative learning, block scheduling, off-campus studies, and interdisciplinary units. The school's information network is…

Growing student diversity, reports and government mandates, ninth-grade transition problems, and middle-school influences have produced new enthusiasm for high-school reorganization. Restructuring approaches such as block scheduling, differentiated instruction, academic teaming, house plans, career academies, heterogeneous grouping, and integrated…

High Schools That Work (HSTW) sites have used a variety of specific approaches to implement a challenging curriculum, provide a systematic program of sustained guidance, and enable academic and career and technical education (CTE) teachers to work together in planning and delivering integrated instruction. The HSTW-recommended curriculum calls for…

A vocational-technical center in Delaware, launched a massive restructuring effort in 1988. Educators used frameworks provided by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education and Southern Regional Educational Board and visited High Schools That Work sites. In 1991, Sussex Technical High School opened its doors as a newly designed…