Block Scheduling

Higher Learning to Higher Success

Countless students, teachers, and even national leaders have made the point that something has faltered in our education system. The education system in the United States has been picked apart piece by piece and scrutinized against other methods of nations. This process is repeated time and time again, always leading to a horrible truth of the failing system. Although we know something is missing, no action has been taken to mend the broken education system. The basis of this failure is the less-fortunate students who learn at a below-average level. These students must be helped and aided to boost them up to an expected level of achievement. To start the process of evaluating a new education process, we have

has made several changes to the typical school day and school year. The typical school day at G.G.L.C. uses block scheduling, providing students with three two hour long classes a day rather than seven short classes, and G.G.L.C. has later start and release times. Block scheduling provides many advantages, from less homework to lower discipline rates (“Research Spotlight on Block”). Block scheduling lowers stress by giving students more time to absorb what is being taught, also ensuring academic success (“Research Spotlight on Block”). Additionally, teachers have more time to try new activities to reach students that do not understand the lesson. Later start and release times add to this academic success. G.G.L.C. classes start at nine in the morning and the school day ends at five in the afternoon. This schedule corresponds with the biological clocks of teenagers, allowing them to go to sleep and wake up later (“Backgrounder: Later School Start Times”). This allows students to get the sleep that they need, diminishing the effects of sleep deprivation, such as the inability to solve problems and various behavioral problems (“Backgrounder: Later School Start

students and the typical high school student is the way kids learn in the classroom. Our goal is to take below average students and teach them in a real-world approach that will boost them up to an above average level. Students will learn through problem based learning which, “is an instructional approach where students learn by solving challenging, open-ended problems… [in] which students work in small teams,” (“Problem Based Learning”). This type of student centered learning encourages G.G.L.C. students to think problems through, and to be more self-motivated, independent students. One thing that will help with this type of learning is to have smaller class sizes with a cap of twenty students. Another idea G.G.L.C. will implement is a self sustaining agriculture program. This would involve many areas of the school and give students a sense of community and responsibility for the school. This would also increase real life learning experience and school unity. Students from animal science and horticulture would care for the plants and animals, while biology and ecology students would gather research and run tests. Personal finance and other business students would be responsible for managing money within the program and so on. The food raised in the program would then be used in the school cafeteria which would support healthier eating and give students satisfaction and reward for their work. The last big change in the learning day