Although scheduling will not begin to change until winter, concerns are circulating about shortening the already condensed Wednesday schedule, as well as moving to block scheduling. With block scheduling, six subjects would be taught for longer periods per day on a rotating basis instead of seven shorter classes five days a week.

The classes may be shifting, but Redwood Principal Christopher Farmer explains that class time will actually be only one minute shorter than it was in the previous schedule. The change will allow all classes to be a uniform length—54 minutes each—instead of the current schedule with 45-minute periods on all days except Wednesday, when they are 37 minutes long. "Having more time each period will make better use of instructional time, especially if teachers want to do some hands-on work or introduce new concepts," says Farmer.

Teachers, administrators and parents are all in agreement that the 37-minute periods do not provide ample enough instruction time, but there is disagreement that the children should have shortened days at all.

Lori Burns, the mother of an eighth-grader at Redwood, is concerned about the change. "I think we need to ask ourselves if seat time is the same as having class every day," says Burns. "All of the motivation is good, but you need to step back and evaluate whether four days of instruction in a particular subject is the same as having it every day. Based on what I've read and experienced, especially with math and foreign language, routine is more important."

The reasoning behind the early Wednesday dismissal is to provide teachers the chance to have departmental meetings and more preparation time for weekly lesson plans.

"Many people do not recognize that there is a connection between high test scores and a prepared staff. We need professional time to more effectively use instructional time and to encourage professional development for teachers," says Farmer. In addition, he points out, "we already exceed the minimum state requirement for instruction time."

Cathie Thermond, the parent of an eighth-grader and part of the schedule development staff, thinks block scheduling will be good for the students.

"At first I thought, 'Oh my goodness, how could this work,' but then I read about block scheduling and saw how successful it has been in schools," she says. "In practice, kids adapt really quickly. It's the parents that have more apprehension."

Several parents have raised concerns about the difficulty of picking up their children at an earlier time on Wednesday. To help, the school has started outlining after-school programs that could offer everything from chess to theater. The activities would either have to be volunteer-run, or a nominal fee would be charged.

Other parents, however, do not think the change will affect them much. "Parents have always had transportation issues here," comments Thermond. "None of the schedules between area schools have really matched up in the past, so we're used to it. I just carpool when I need to."

Early Wednesdays and period shifts are not the only changes planned for Redwood. In fact, the proposed block scheduling is only a small part of a much bigger plan at work.

Last year, the Saratoga Union School District Board of Trustees encouraged the middle school to look at its educational structure and offerings, questioning how well the school meets the students' academic and social needs.

Redwood responded by creating a task force of parents, students, teachers, administrators, one board member and one counselor to review programs and assess the viability of Redwood's own curriculum.

The task force was separated into four categories of six to seven representatives, each investigating issues regarding curriculum reform, teaching methods, relational issues and community outreach. Each group spent close to a year researching what was thought to be "best practice" via books, videos and trips to local schools that engage diverse, progressive teaching methods.

The result was a desire to move toward an integrated curriculum that included social and emotional education, smaller class sizes, better personal relationships between teachers and students, and, subsequently, block scheduling to nurture those conditions.

Recognizing the magnitude of changes required, the task force and administration drew up a timeline outlining when and how to implement the changes. Saratoga Union School District Superintendent Mary Gardner explained that changes to the curriculum and schedule will be slowly phased in through 2005, allowing students and teachers to adjust in stages. Fall semester will be used to explain to parents the new curriculum and help them understand the changes. In January, scheduling and curriculum changes will actually start to take place.

Another major change for the future will be the implementation of teams in each grade. Each sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade class will be divided into two teams, each team consisting of approximately 150 students.

With roughly 920 students enrolled, Farmer hopes that having teams will foster better connections and make better use of instructional time.

Each team is meant to represent the school as a whole. Teams, which are selected through a lengthy process, are to represent a balanced composition of students based on gender, ethnicity, and ability as gauged by math scores. A computer program will be used to help the staff sort students. After this is done, staff will ask for parent and teacher input regarding each child's learning style and whom the child gets along with. Finally, each schedule will be individually reviewed and approved for a team.

"This system is truly awesome," says Gardner. "It will really help create a successful learning system."

Farmer is eager to see the teams set up as well. "We are restructuring the day and creating teams to provide better programs for the kids—the time spent with the kids will be better, and it will be a warmer and more caring environment."

Another important change, which was key to the task force's report, was switching the sustained silent reading period after lunch with homeroom.

After lunch, students usually have 20 minutes to read, but will soon be broken up into randomly selected groups of 16 to 20 students with one teacher to act as "a mentor and conversation facilitator." This time will be used to implement another facet of the curriculum overhaul, which is social-emotional learning.

The curriculum, which is already in place in nearby schools in Palo Alto and Mountain View, will be developed by school counselors and is meant to help students become aware of their emotions, as well as teach them how to work cooperatively and resolve conflicts.

This aspect of the program is especially important to Farmer, who is keen about his students.

"Teens have the capacity to hurt each other, even when they come from great families," says Farmer. "I think the kids are physically safe in this school, but they can be hurt much more emotionally. We need to address that."

Gardner and Farmer both recognized the increase of school shootings as an underlying driving force for the new emotional instruction and support program.

Homeroom is expected to grow from 20 minutes to one hour during the three-year implementation schedule. Its expansion will be based on scheduling and how well the program is received. Administrators and task force members also plan to assess the other programs as they are established, providing opportunities to fine-tune the new curriculum as teachers learn what works and what doesn't. Farmer is intent on revolutionizing the school, as he points out that Redwood is not preparing kids for high school, but for life. "We have to plan for their adult lives," Farmer says, "because these kids are going to be the future leaders of Silicon Valley."