1．Federal Hocking High School in Stewart，Ohio，draws its 360students from a 270-square-mile rural area of the state's southeast corner．
In the early 1990s，teachers and students were not at all motivated．The school，says social studies teacher Deborah Burk，was sticking to the 19th-century concept of dividing the day into 42-minute periods （still common in many schools across the country），with each period counted as a credit toward graduation．Back then，Burk says，students focused more on the clock than on what she was saying．They weren't entirely to blame．The system，she felt，didn't let her do much beyond repeating the same lectures over and over：There wasn't time to challenge students to research into details．"You couldn't analyze their progress--or even think about it．"
In 1992，Dr．George H．Wood，an Ohio University education professor who'd never run a high school，was named principal．He asked students for their ideas，organized visits to programs around the country，and met frequently with staff．The result：Time passed quickly．With some arm-twisting of superintendents and state lawmakers，Federal Hocking moved from the tiresome credit system to a less-is-more schedule tied to four 80-minute classes．"We decided，"Wood says，"to teach fewer things better．"In American history，for example，the emphasis changed from devoting equal time to every era to focusing on big events．
The school developed its own credit system based on important studies but added other requirements--a senior portfolio，and a yearlong project created by the students that's not always linked directly to their coursework．Project topics range from writing a world-foods cookbook to the restoration of an old tractor．Graduation based just on racking up a set number of credits was no longer possible．
Other changes followed．The seven-minute daily homeroom period--basically an attendance call--was replaced by an hour-long advisory meeting every Wednesday morning．Each teacher advises the same 14or 15kids through high school．Wood，meanwhile，never lowered his strict academic standards．"Everybody here reads Shakespeare，Emerson and Thoreau，"he says，"even kids who are going to be mechanics．"
Teacher Tim Arnold says the schedule changes had an effect similar to the flipping（弹开）of a switch："The pressure was released．Instead of looking at the clock，we could look at the students．On the first day we all went‘Wow!That was cool．'"
Between the 1995-96and 2003-04school years，the percentage of the school's ninth-graders that passed Ohio's math proficiency test rose from 50percent to 85percent．Passing grades in reading shot from 69percent to 96percent．And honors diplomas jumped from 8percent to 20percent．"We don't focus on test scores，"Wood says，"but it's clear that if you pay attention to the overall culture of the school，the test scores will rise．"
| Problems of the school in the past | The（71）division of the day into 42-minute periods |
| （72）Repeatingthe same teaching content again and again |
| No time to challenge students to（73）carryout research into details |
（74）
Waysof solving the problems | A schedule of four 80-minute classes |
| Teaching fewer things better |
Credit system based on important studies in（75）
addition to other requirements |
| An hour-long meeting every Wednesday morning to give（76）advice/suggestions |
（77）Keeping
up the high and strict academic standards |
Signs of （78）
success/achievements | （79）Thirty/30 percent more ninth-graders passed Ohio's math proficiency test． |
| Much （80）progress was made in passing grades in reading． |
| Honors diplomas increased from 8 percent to 20 percent． |
