Over 70 years ago, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe coined the phrase “less is more” to describe how minimalist design can often be more functional than traditional building methods. And over the years, this concept has produced new ways of thinking from fields as diverse as art/music to macroeconomics.

According to a new research study, it’s also true when it comes to scheduling classes for high school freshmen!

“Students in ninth grade … feel overwhelmed by the number of transitions they must make daily, and they are unable to effectively manage the increase in their course schedules once they get to high school — partly because of their underdeveloped executive functioning capacities.” (Andrews and Bangura, 2021) And so, Andrews and Bangura strongly recommend reducing ninth graders’ daily course load. They also offer some unique scheduling ideas.

It’s long been known that students are four times more likely to graduate from high school if they are on track by the end of their freshman year. But it’s also true that ninth graders are five times more likely to fail a course than students at any other grade level.

So if your master plan for the coming year is truly “student centered,” you might want to give this “4×4 scheduling” idea some serious thought.