The early 1990s marked the beginning of major education reform in America's public schools. High school academic calendars were the primary focus of this reform. The four-term schedule has been widely adopted over the traditional academic calendar in order to improve student achievement, prepare graduates for college, and reduce disciplinary problems. Twenty years later, following flat academic performance, many of these schools are choosing to return to the traditional eight hours of instruction. Several modifiable factors are inhibiting the success of the block program. Rather than fall into a model already deemed ineffective, schools that have adopted the block program must take a holistic approach to the educational environment by focusing on ongoing staff development, curriculum design, parent involvement, and overall institutional morale. The block curriculum emerged from the education reform movement, which became popular following the 1994 National Education Goals established by Congress to mandate performance-based education in the American public school system (Queen, 2009, p. 88). . Subsequently, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 cemented these standards by mandating federal education funding based on performance on quantitative assessments (Queen, 2001, p. 92). School districts responded by seeking innovative strategies that would give their students an edge. The block schedule offered a workable solution by arranging the year to allow for four 90-minute periods of intense study for a semester rather than eight 45-minute lessons for the entire school year. This promised more time for teachers to prepare lessons, a reduction in unproductive classroom transition protocols like attendance, and the freedom to… middle of paper… freeze: That's not the problem. The Journal of Educational Research, 95, 196-202. Retrieved from http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/00220671.aspNorton, M. K. (2010). A study of the impact of block scheduling on student achievement in public high schools (Doctoral dissertation). Available in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (AAT 3397428) Regina, J. A. (2009). The block planning manual. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Slate, J., & Jones, J. (2000). Students' views on block programming: reactions after a short trial period. The High School Journal, 83(3), 55-55. Retrieved from http://soe.unc.edu/hsj/Veal, W. (2000). Teaching and student performance in science: Comparison of three different timetables. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 11:B, 251-275. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/1046-560X