This study examines how student learning conditions are impacted by the allocation of school resources, especially time and staff. It also explores the consequences of such allocation on student achievement. More specifically, it investigates the impacts of restructuring class schedule on class size as well as on student achievement. In their efforts to improve student achievement, policymakers and school administrators have leveraged two important resource-allocation decisions—the number of students in a classroom and the duration and frequency of classes taught. Although each practice has been independently studied in the literature, researchers have devoted little attention to the relationship between class schedule and class size. In this dissertation, I explore how class schedule plays a role in determining class size as well as what the impacts of changing class schedule are on student achievement. Essentially, this study evaluates whether school districts, when reducing class size, may consider it a viable option to adopt a traditional seven-period class schedule. The study draws on nine-year class-level data from 2006-07 to 2014-15 and student-level two- or three-year data from 2011-12 to 2013-14. These data are obtained from a large school district, Broward County Public Schools, in Florida. Through several quasi-experimental approaches, such as a comparative interrupted time-series, difference-in-differences, and fixed-effects model, I empirically examine the relationships between class schedule and class size and between class schedule and student achievement. The results show that changing class schedule has positive impacts on reducing class size when block schedules are replaced by the 7-period class schedule, especially in Math and Social Studies. However, when the 6-period class schedule is changed to the 7-period schedule, no policy impact is found for the 6-period schools compared to the 7-period schools. Rather, the 6-period schedule schools reduced class size less than the 7-period schedule schools did in certain subjects. When explaining the results of the period-type class schedule schools, the role of teaching load is discussed in reducing class size. In addition, the student math achievement, which is measured by the End-of-Course Algebra I and Geometry, is reported to be negatively affected by changing to the traditional 7-period class schedule, especially for low-achieving students in the 4x4 block schools. Based on these results, several implications for policy and future research are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the. / Spring Semester 2017. / March 29, 2017. / Class Schedule, Class Size, Class Size Reduction / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrice Iatarola, Professor Directing Dissertation; Anastasia Semykina, University Representative; Carolyn Herrington, Committee Member; Toby Park, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_507692 |
| Contributors | Kim, Taek Hyung (authoraut), Iatarola, Patrice (professor directing dissertation), Semykina, Anastasia (university representative), Herrington, Carolyn D. (committee member), Park, Toby J. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (139 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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