TIME FOR CHANGE?Findings from a Survey of Time Use in Schools
By Sarah Silverman, Kimberly Swan, Scott Ziolko, Boróka Bó
Insights Report | 2020
2 » Time for Change?
Table of Contents3 Introduction Schoolleaders’topprioritiesincludeacademicproficiency,school
climate,andon-timegraduationrates.
6 School Calendars Schoolcalendarslookthesamealmosteverywhere.
6 Bell Schedules Mostschoolsanddistrictsareusingbellschedulesthatlookthesame--
eventhoughthey’reservingdifferentstudents.
9 Start and End Times Schoolstartandendtimesdon’talignwithstudents’developmental
needs--orwiththetypicalfamilyschedule.
11 Staff Time Teachersreportlimitedtimeforvaluablecollaboration.
14 Academic Programming Academic programming strategies don’t prioritize students’ equitable
accesstorigorouscoursework.
18 Leader Perceptions School and district administrators perceive that barriers to changing
theiruseoftimemaybetoohightoovercome--buttakingonthechallengecouldhelptoachievetheirtopgoals.
19 Educator Needs School and district leaders need more and better data about the use of
timetohelpguideimprovementstowhen--andwhat--studentslearn.
20 About the Authors
21 About the Data
3 » Time for Change?
IntroductionOverthelastseveraldecades,educationintheUnitedStateshasexperiencednumerous transformative shifts ranging from a series of supreme court decisions and federallegislationdesignedtoensureaccessforallchildren,throughstandardsandaccountability,tocollegeandcareerreadiness.Theseshiftsinhowwethinkabouteducationhaveledtochangesinmanyoftheprioritiesthatnowguideschoolanddistrictleaders.Thecontentthateducatorsteachandthewaytheyteachithasevolvedagreatdealoverthattime.
Yetthewayschoolsstructuretimeforstudentsandstaffremainslargelyunchanged,andmanyschoolsanddistrictsareoperatingonthesamesetofcommonapproachestostructuringtimeforstudentsandstaff:yearsthatbegininAugustorSeptemberandendinMayorJune;termsdividedintosemesters;daysthatbeginaround8amandendaround3pm,andthataredividedintoabout8,50-60minuteperiods.Theseelementsoftimecouldallbeleverstoincreaselearningtimeanddifferentiatelearningexperiencesforstudentsinwaysthatboostlearningoutcomes,butthemajorityofschoolsanddistrictshavenotyetpulledthem.
“I would like to have MORE than 47 minutes to be with my students,
yet stil l see them EVERYDAY.”
“I would like to see longer classes, but not block scheduling for math!”
“I would prefer to have a full block schedule. It is so challenging fitting in
instruction and work time into short class periods. Students
could become engaged and stay engaged during longer classes.”
“I would like more regular schedules without weird
changes that affect classes disproportionately and more time for grading/
assessment/student support.”
K-12 TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES
4 » Time for Change?
Asthestudentpopulationdiversifies1andthefieldlearnsmoreaboutwhatstudentsneed—andtechnologyevolvestoenableeducatorstopersonalizelearningactivitiesforlargernumbersofstudents—schoolanddistrictleadersarechangingthewaystheymeetstudentneeds.Asonemightanticipate—andasthisresearchreflects—academicproficiencycontinuestobeatoppriorityforschoolleaders.
Chart 1. Top ten priorities (by percentage selecting) cited by schools.
3,758 schools indicate their top 3 priorities.
Whenpursuingthesetoppriorities,instructionalstrategiesarenottheonlymeansataleader’sdisposaltoboostlearninganddemonstrateimprovedoutcomes.Thereistremendouspotentialtoleveragetimecreativelyinpursuitofthesegoals.
Despiteallofthewaysinwhichschoolshavegrownandchangedinthelastdecades,thewaysschoolsstructuretheiruseoftimehasremainedremarkablystagnant.Ratherthanbeingdesignedtomaximizeourabilitytoaddresstoppriorities,timehasbeenallocatedbaseduponlogisticsandprioritiesinwaysthatmaynotbeintentionalorsettingupourstudentsandstaffforsuccess.
Onereasonschoolsanddistrictspursuearelativelylimitedsetofoptionsforschoolcalendars and schedules is the perception that the tradeoffs and challenges to make changesaretoogreat.Typicallychangestocalendarsorbellschedulesrequireyearstonavigateeverythingfromanalysisofthelogisticsofchangetogainingbuy-inandsupportfromeducatorsandfamilies,nottomentionapprovalfromschoolboards.Whenfacedwithmanypressingpriorities,districtleadersmaychoosenottoinvestthetime,resources,andpoliticalcapitalinpursuingchangesrelatedtocalendarsandschedules.
Yet,thesechallengesandbarriersdonotlessenthepotentiallytransformativeimpactonteachingandlearningschoolscanhavebybeingmorestrategicandintentionalabouthowtimeisstructuredandused.
1. See https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/26/u-s-hispanic-and-asian-populations-growing-but-for-different-rea-sons/; https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/31/kindergarten-demographics-in-us/.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
5 » Time for Change?
Agrowingnumberofleadershaverecognizedtheopportunitytoconsidernewwaystostructuretimeforstudentsandstaff,andtheireffortsreflectseveralimportantpossibilitiestoachievetheirprioritiesbybetteraligningtimewiththeirstrategicgoals.Withaccesstocreativenewideasandsupports,manyschoolanddistrictleadershavealsofoundtheyhavemoreoptionsandcontroloverhowtimeisorganizedforstaffandstudentsthantheypreviouslythought.Thetablebelowsummarizesalignmentsbetweenpriorities,strategies,andindicatorsofsuccess.2
Example Intermediate Goal Example Strategy Example Indicator of Success
Increase access to advanced coursework.
Align the number of courses providedwiththenumberofstudentswhomighttakethem.
No demographic differences appear across course enrollments.
Increase teacher collaboration time.
Increase the number of class periodsineachday.
Teachers develop collaborative plans for student learning playlists.
Createtimeforproject-basedlearning.
Adoptblockperiods. Studentscompleteprojectsthatarehighquality.
Forthosewhoarepreparedtoexploretimeasastrategyforimprovingoutcomesforstudents—academicandotherwise—thisreportprovidesabaselineunderstandingofhowtimeisstructuredinschoolsacrossthecountry,alongwithideasandexamplesforopportunitiestomakeuseoftimeamatterofintentionaldesignratherthanalegacyfeatureofhowschoolswork.
Schoolanddistrictleadershavecontroloverfourdimensionsoftime:bellschedules,schoolcalendars(daysandyears),stafftime,andacademicprogramming.Thereportisorganizedtoreflectfindingsonthosedimensions.
2. See Reimagining Time in School for All Students: https://learn.ablschools.com/reimagining-time-in-school-for-all-students-whitepaper.
SCHOOL CALENDARS
BELL SCHEDULES ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING
STAFF TIME
6 » Time for Change?
School CalendarsSchool calendars look the same almost everywhere.
Some schoolsdistricts have reduced the overall length of summer(about3%)andabout1%haveadoptedlearningperiodsthatareevenlydistributedthroughouttheyear.Whilethetraditionalsummersoffmethodmayremainthebeststrategyformanagingtime,thereissome evidence that learning over the courseoftheschoolyearrecedesoverthesummer—andfurther evidencethatlow-incomestudentsofcoloraremorenegativelyaffectedby“summerslide”thantheirmoreaffluentcounterparts.
Bell SchedulesMost schools and districts are using bell schedules that look the same— even though they’re serving different students.
Bellschedulesdon’tneedtobefixedatsix,seven,oreightperiods—theycanbemodularized and combined or separated to create more time for some content and less timeforothercontentbaseduponeducatorandstudentneedsinordertomaximizelearningopportunities.
SchoolsacrosstheU.S.facethepersistentchallengeofachievementgapsalongracial,ethnic,andsocioeconomiclines.Despitenumerousinnovationsinwaysthatinstructionisdelivered,thesegapslargelypersist.Moreexplorationofwaystoeliminatethemisrequired,buttimeisonewaytocreatemoreopportunitiestobringstudentswhoarebehindontograde-levelwhilealsoenrichingthelearningofthosealreadyontrack.
Schooltimeisgenerallyorganizedinthesamesemesters,bellschedules,andnumberofperiodsacrossschoolsanddistrictsnationwide.Perhapsnotsurprisingly,mostschoolsanddistrictsareexperiencingsimilarmismatchinoutcomesacrossstudentgroups.
Weknowthatnotallstudentslearnatthesamepace,andthatnotallcontentiseasilydigestible.Nevertheless,weprovidecourseperiodsinexactlythesameincrementsforthesameperiodoftime.Thatmaybewastingtimethatcouldbeusedtomoveforward—oritmayberushinglearningthatisfundamentaltofuturesuccess.Itcouldalsomeanthateducatorsareforcedtomoveonevenwhensomestudentsarenotprepared.
Shiftsinapproachestoteachingandlearninghaveintroducednewopportunitiesforpersonalizedlearning,focusingoncompetencyratherthanseattime,andenablingstudents to demonstrate their learning through means other than end of course examinations—allofwhichgiveusbetterdataonwhatstudentsknowandcando,andwhen.Byshiftingtheunitsoftimetobemoreflexibleagainstthesedata,wecouldenablemorestudentstogetaccesstothelearningtheyneedwhentheyneedit.
Manystatesstilldictateseattimeordaysinschool,whichcanbeabarriertosomechanges.3But,evenwithinthoseparameters,itispossibletomakechangesthatenablemoretimespentontopprioritiessuchaslearning.
3. 50-State comparison of instructional time policies: http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbquest4ci?rep=IT18A
99% OF SCHOOLS SURVEYED ARE STILL RUNNING ON A TRADITIONAL “SUMMERS OFF”SCHOOL CALENDAR
7 » Time for Change?
Forexample:
Consider integrating a flextime period that enables studentstospendmoretimeontheirindividualneeds.
Organizeperiodsinalternativewaystothetraditional8-period,50-minuteformatsuchasamodifiedblock,rotatingperiods,oraflexschedule.ExploreUnlockingTime’slibraryofscheduletypes.
Leverage formative assessment to regularlyregroup students and focus teaching on shared needs of smaller groups—evenifyoucannotchangeclassperiods.
Consider Trimester terms,whichcreatesmoreopportunitytomakechangestoschedulesandcoursework.
Chart 2. Most secondary schools follow a predictable standard bell schedule.
VisitUnlockingTime’slibraryofbellscheduletypes to learn more about the pros and consofvariousoptions.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
72% OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS STILL RUN ON A TRADITIONAL, STANDARD 5 TO 8 PERIOD BELL SCHEDULE.
86% OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS STILL RUN ON A STANDARD PERIOD OR CLASSIC ELEMENTARY HOMEROOM SCHEDULE.
Chart 3. Most elementary schools still follow a classic elementary bell schedule.
8 » Time for Change?
CHART 4: Most schools arrange their classes into short periods, all of the same length.
Most classes are offered at the same time each day,withslightadjustmentsforearlyreleaseorlatestart.Only5%ofschoolsreportrotatingperiods,astrategydesignedtosupportoptimallearningtimesandstudentswhoconsistentlymissafternoonperiodsforsports.
CHART 5: Most schools offer the same courses at the same time each day.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Staff satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)
Block (longer periods, fewer
subjects each day)Hybrid
(mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)
Block (longer periods, fewer
subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
At the same time except for latestart/early dismissal
At different times each day
At the same time each day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Staff Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Different Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% different
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% different
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
15
15
14
13
8
3
1
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insufficient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
ACROSS THE STUDY, 74% OF CLASSES ARE LESS THAN AN HOUR LONG
ONLY 5% OF SCHOOLS ROTATE PERIODS EACH DAY OF THE WEEK.
9 » Time for Change?
Start and End TimesSchool start and end times don’t align with students’ developmental needs— or with the typical family schedule.
Eventhoughdatasuggestthatteenagersbenefitfromlaterstarttimes,trendssuggestthatelementaryschoolsaremorelikelytostartandendlaterthansecondaryschools.
Mostelementaryschoolsstartafter8AM,whereasmostsecondaryschoolsstartbetween7:30AMand8:30AM.Schoolsconsistentlyclosearoundthesametime;mostelementaryandsecondaryschoolsendbetween3pmand3:30pm.
CHART 6: Elementary schools tend to start later than secondary schools.
CHART 7: Secondary schools tend to end a little earlier than elementary schools.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
10 » Time for Change?
Eventhoughmostcaretakers’schedulestypicallyrequirethemtobeatworkbetween8and6eachday,schooloftenbeginslaterandendsearlier.Thesemisalignmentscanmean families piece together various placements or care for their children that could be timespentlearning.
Theschooldayfollowsatypicaltrajectorythatincludestransportationtoschool,arrivalactivities,theschoolday,departureactivitiesandtransportationhome—sometimesincludingorfollowedbyafterschoolactivities.Therearemanytransitionpointsalongthedayinwhichtimemaybewasted,andstudentsandfamiliesmayfacechallengesnavigatingcurrentschedules.Further,thefixedlengthoftheschooldaymayplaceunneededlimitationsonlearningtime.
Schooldayshaveshiftedinsomelocales4toreflectmountingdataaboutdevelopmentandsleepneeds.Manyschoolsstillopenveryearlyintheday—perhapsbeforestudentsareatprimelearningcapacity.Butmostschooldaysalsofailtoalignwithfamilychildcareandtransportationavailability,whichcanmeanthatschoolshaveanopportunitytoleveragetimewhenstudentscannotbeathometomaximizelearning.
Adultschedules—therestrictionsonadministratorandeducatortime—maypresentthegreatestbarriertochangesintheschoolday.Oftenschedulesarenegotiatedintonotoriouslydifficulttochangecollectivebargainingagreementsordictatedbystatelaborlaws.5Theseissuesarenotinsurmountable,buttheycanmakechangeaverylong-termendeavor.Sportsandotherafterschoolactivitiesmayalsocompetefortimeintheday,andfamiliesmayhavestandingcommitmentsoutsideofschool(e.g.,religiousactivities,volunteering,familytime,etc.).
4. California Dreamin: The state becomes the first in the nation to mandate later start times for middle and high schools. Here’s why. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/14/california-dreamin-why-state-is-first-mandate-later-start-times-middle-high-schools/
5. For examples of items covered in teacher’s union contracts, see https://www.nctq.org/contract-database.
“You wake up at 6 a.m. to get ready for work, and if you have teenage children, you wake them up too, because they usually need to get to school by 7:30 a.m. ( if not earlier) .
Unfortunately, kids then sleepwalk their way to classes and really don’t start functioning
til l lunchtime.”
—PamelaThacher,aprofessorofpsychologyatSt.LawrenceUniversity,andSergeOnyper,anassociateprofessorofpsychologyattheNewYorkSchool
11 » Time for Change?
Potentialsolutionsinclude:
Add class periods to give students more choice in their learning—and more learning timeoverall.
Lengthenyourschoolday.Increaselearningtimebyextendingtheday,andvaryingteacher schedules so that teachers don’t have to spend more time in class even whenstudentsdo.
Openschoolspacetobeforeandafterschoolenrichmentactivitiestoalignwithfamilies’abilitytopickupanddropoff,ormeetbusses.
Staff TimeTeachers report limited time for valuable collaboration.
Themajorityofteachersreportspending5hoursorlesscollaboratingwithotherteacherseveryweek.Withmedianstudentloadsof131studentsperteacherinsecondaryschools,limitedcollaborationtimedoesn’tsupporttheneedtocoordinatestudentneedsacrossdisciplines.
CHART 8: Teachers have less than an hour per day to collaborate with one another.
In34highschoolsand18middleschools,analysisofthemasterschedulerevealedthat56%ofteachershaveoneormoresharedfreeperiodintheirbellscheduleperweekwithanotherteacherinthesamesubjectandgradelevel;44%havenocommonfreeperiod.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
Number of hours each week teachers report having for collaboration.
12 » Time for Change?
Educatorsandadministratorsreportthatcompeting priorities and demands for timeleadtolimitedopportunitiestoplan,collaborate,andmeettheindividualneedsofeachstudent.Specifically,teachersreportthatadministratorsaredrivenbydifferentprioritiesfromteachers,andthat school districts level even more competing priorities against both teachers andprincipals.Educatorsreportfeelingthat a lack of collaboration time makes themfeeldisrespectedasprofessionals,and it results in educators not having opportunitiestolearnfromoneanother.Inshort,educatorsvaluecollaborationasacoreelementoftheirwork.
Wheneducatorscandiscusstheirownexperiencesteachingandinteractingwiththeirstudents,itenrichesasharedunderstandingofhowstudentslearnandwhattheyneedtosucceed—whichcanmakethelimitedtimeteachershavewithstudentsmoreproductive.
Manyschoolschedulesaredesignedprimarilyaroundpre-existingclass
periodsandmandatestomeetstudents’learningandcourseneeds.Butwhilemeetingstudents’courseneedsmayseemlikeanimportanttoppriority,creatingcollaborationtimeamongteacherscouldmakethetimethatstudentshavewiththeirteachersevenmorevaluable.Collaborationtimecanalsohelppropelteachersforwardinskilldevelopmentandadoptionofstrategiesthatworkwellwiththeirstudentpopulation.
CHART 10: 28% of teachers surveyed chose “Staff Professional Time” as the aspect of time they would most like to change in their school.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
CHART 9: Only about half of teachers have a common free period to collaborate with other educators.
Percentage of teachers who have an opportunity within their schedule to collaborate with their grade level or subject area peers on a weekly basis.
13 » Time for Change?
Creatingtimeforteacherstocollaboratemeansfindingtimewhenteacherscanallbetogetherinsteadofwiththeirstudents.Providingtimewhenalleducatorsinaspecificgradelevelorsubjectcanmeettogethermeanssomeoneelsemustbeavailabletobewithstudentsandmaymeanreducedlearningtime.Itcanalsosendthemessagethat teacher time together is more important than instructional time—a message thatleaderswillneedtohelpstakeholdersunderstandismoreaboutbalanceandmaximizinglearningexperiencesthanprioritizingteachersoverstudents.
Possiblestrategiesinclude:
Leverage virtuallearningdaystogiveteachersmorecollaborationtimewithoutreducingstudentlearningtime.
Organize schedules so that students in each grade level are in special classes at the sametime,givingteachersinthatgradetimetomeet.
Involve teachers in creating the master schedulewillempowerteachersandenablestheteachersandprincipaltoanalyzethescheduleandfindtimewithinitfortheirgoalssuchasadditionalteachingtime,professionalplanningtimeforteachers,andreinforcinglearningforstudentsthroughadayfocusedonelectives.
CHART 11: Hybrid schedule formats are most effective at generating collaboration time for teachers, block schedules are least effective at generating collaboration time.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
Amount of weekly collaboration time reported by teachers under varying bell schedule formats.
14 » Time for Change?
Academic ProgrammingAcademic programming strategies don’t prioritize students’ equitable access to rigorous coursework.
Educatorsdon’tcitesatisfyingstudentrequestsastopprioritiesinmakingschedulingdecisions.Whilestudentneedsmayactuallybeahighpriority,otherimportantfactorscompeteforattention.
CHART 12: When scheduling students, most schools prioritize balanced class sizes, parent requests and mixed student abilities.
Analysisofthedemographiccompositionofadvancedcoursesinthe34highschoolmaster schedule dataset demonstrated that schools are not prioritizing all students’ needs.Inanidealscenario,thecompositionofthestudentsinadvancedcourseswouldberepresentativeofthestudentsenrolledineachsubjectarea.ForstudentsinEnglishlanguagelearnerprogramsorforstudentswithindividualizededucationplans,someamountofshelteredsupportmaybeintentional,buttheseevidencesuggesttheremaybesystematicexclusionofsomesubgroupsfromrigorouscoursework.Giventhatmostschoolsreportadvancedcourseworkastheirprimarymechanismforservingtheneedsofadvancedstudents,thesedatasuggestthatadvancedstudentswhoarealsominoritiesmaybeunderserved.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
School leaders responses to the question “What do you think matters most for how students are assigned to classes at your school? (select up to two)
15 » Time for Change?
CHART 13: Across all demographic groups and subject areas,students in advanced courses are not representative of the student population.
Shiftingcourseavailabilitysothatmorestudentscanhaveaccesstorigorouscourseworkcreatesopportunitiesforstudentstostretchanddemonstratetheircapabilitiesinwaysthatwillpositionthemwellforpost-secondarysuccess.
Whiletraditionalnotionsof“tracking”arelongout-moded,limitingaccesstohonors,AP,IBorequivalentcoursescanhaveasimilareffectintermsofcreatingorclosingoffopportunitytocertainsubgroupsofstudents.6 To create more opportunities for students toparticipateinrigorouscourses,schoolsmightconsider:
Narrowingcourseofferingstoeliminatecoursesthatarenotleadingtopost-secondarysuccess.(WatchVideo:FocusonCoursesforAccesstoRigor)
Expandingcoursestobuildpipelinesthataddnewadvancedcoursesandequitablepathwaysthatdoleadtopost-secondaryopportunities,removingbarriersandopeningdoorsforstudentstoaccessadvancedcoursework.
Buildinginthenecessarysupportsforstudentsstretchingintoadvancedcoursestoensuresuccess.(WatchVideo:BuildSupportsforPost-SecondarySuccess)
6 See Five Things to Advance Equity in Access to and Success in Advance Coursework, Education Trust. https://edtrust.org/resource/5-things-to-advance-equity-in-access-to-and-success-in-advanced-coursework/
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
Each bar displayed represents the percentage of schools that have significant differences inrepresentation in advanced courses by subject area and demographic group.
16 » Time for Change?
Aconcertedefforttofulfillstudentcourserequests(ratherthanrequirementsorrecruitingstudentsintomorechallengingcourses)canexacerbateinequalities—whichmaynotbeeasilyremediatedbecauseonly3%ofschoolssharescheduleswithstudentsbeforethepreviousyearisout.Mostshareschedulesoverthesummer,butsomeshareearlytomaximizetimeforchangesandsomesharelatertominimizechanges.
CHART 14: Most schools share schedules with students after it is too late to make adjustments for the coming school year.
Baseduponreportedpriorities,onemightanticipatethatstudentassignmentbyteacherroughlymatchesthedemographicsoftheschoolbut,analyzingtheschedulesacross9,025teachersinthesample,roughly30%ofallteachersseeadisproportionatenumberofstudentsinspecificsubgroupsthantheirdepartment’saverageenrollment.Whilesomesubgroupsofstudentswillbeintentionallygroupedwithateacherforappropriateeducationalsupports,manyteachersarenotinteractingwithadiversepopulationofstudentsthatisrepresentativeofthecommunitytheyserve.
Theanalysisincludedanevaluationofthecompositionofthestudentsthatteachersareinstructingintheirclassroomsandwhetherthosegroupsofstudentsarerepresentativeofthestudentsfortherestoftheteachersinthesamedepartment.Theevaluationwasbrokendownacrossfivedimensions:studentgender,studentFRLstatus,studentELLstatus,ifthestudentisamemberofahistoricallyunderservedraceorethnicitygroup,andifthestudenthadorhasanIEP.Between20-36%ofteachers,dependinguponthedemographicofinterest,seeastudentpopulationthatdiffersbyatleast10%inmakeupthanthedepartmentaverage.Forexampleifadepartmenthasa50/50genderratioandateacher’sstudentsdifferbymorethan10%(either>60%Maleor>60%Femalestudentsacrossalltheircourses),thatteacherisconsideredtobeteachinganon-representativepopulationofstudents.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
School leaders responses to the question “When do students receive their schedule or class assignments for the school year?”
17 » Time for Change?
CHART 15: Many teachers do not see a representative population of students in their classrooms, so those classrooms do not match school demographic distributions.
Asmoredatabecomesavailable,itisincreasinglyessentialtoleveragethatdatatobothunderstandthecurrentstateandestablishprioritiesforwhatequitableaccesstocourseworklookslikeinourschoolsandcommunities.Schoolanddistrictleadersneedtimelyaccesstotherightdatatomakeinformeddecisionsaboutoptimalplacementofstudentsandstaff.SeeSchedulingforEquity on UnlockingTime.org.
-
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percent of Respondents
Percent of Respondents
Percent of RespondentsPercent of Respondents
Primary
Secondary
Colors
Action Colors
HEX: #D9A831 RGB: 217, 168, 49 GOLD MINT DARK TEAL
LIGHT GOLD LIGHT MINT TEAL
ORANGE RED NEUTRAL
YELLOW BLUE PINK
CHARCOALHEX: #76c295 RGB: 118, 194, 149 HEX: #1c575a RGB: 28, 87, 90
HEX: #f0ca4d RGB: 240, 202, 77 HEX: #91ceaa RGB: 145, 206, 170 HEX: #0f8387 RGB: 15, 131, 135
HEX: #e16817 HEX: #e57d38RGB: 225, 104, 23 RGB: 229, 125, 56
HEX: #c40724 HEX: #db353bRGB: 196, 7, 36 RGB: 219, 53, 59
HEX: #87724d HEX: #ac9871RGB: 135, 144, 77 RGB: 172, 152, 113
HEX: #FFFA6E RGB: 255, 250, 110 HEX: #5daaae RGB: 93, 170, 174 HEX: #ee8c90 RGB: 238, 140, 144
HEX: #2b2b2b RGB: 43, 43, 43
LIGHT CHARCOALHEX: #383838 RGB: 56, 56, 56
Academic Proficiency
School Climate/Culture
Graduation/Matriculation Rate
Social-Emotional Skills
Attendance
Equity/Close the Achievement Gap
Community Connections
Teacher Collaboration
Deeper Learning
Sta� satisfaction/positive working environment
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
Classic Elementary (homeroom)
Standard Periods (5-8 classes daily lasting
under 60 minutes)Block
(longer periods, fewer subjects each day)
Hybrid (mix of Standard and Block)
Departmentalized Elementary
Flexible (modular or adaptive)
Other
0-60 Minutes
61-90 Minutes
1.5+ hrs
Late start/Early dismissal
Same time every day
Di�erent time every day
05
10152025303540
05
10152025303540
0
10
20
30
40
50
01020304050607080
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
10
20
30
40
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40Elementary
Secondary
Elementary
Secondary
Classic Elementary
DepartmentalizedSecondary
Elementary
Secondary
before 7:30AM 7:30AM to 8AM
START TIMES END TIMES
8AM to 8:30AM 8:30AM and after before 2:30PM less than 2 hrs 2-5 hrs 6-10 hrs 11-15 hrs 16-20 hrs more than 20 hrs High School Middle School2:30PM to 3PM 3PM to 3:30PM 3:30PM and after
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 10 20 30 40
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Sta� Professional Time
Bell Schedule
Academic Programming (student placement)
District Calendar
School Calendar
Parent Conference Meeting Time
During Summer Break
The Week Before School Begins
The First Day of School
Before Students Leave for Break
After the First Day of School
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
more than 11 hrs
Standard Periods
Block
Flexible
Hybrid
Other
Balancing Class Size
Satisfying Parent Requets
Ensuring Mixed Student Ability Levels
Ensuring Students have the Same Ability Levels
Balancing Behaviors/Personalities
Satisfying Student Requests
Balancing Ages/grade Levels
Diverse Representation of Students from Di�erent Backgrounds
Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities/Special Ed
Balancing English Language
Balancing Gender
Other
less than 2 hrs
2-5 hrs
6-10 hrs
11 + hrs
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
English
Math
<10% di�erent
SEGMENT VS DEPT
≥10% di�erent
Science
Social Studies
World Language
0
20
40
60
80
100
EL
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender
Race
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
FRL
IEP
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
Gender FRL EL Race IEP
50
37
27
25
22
17
16
15
14
12
72
19
1
174 55
40
56
38
19
3235
37
26
1819
1310
28
39
39
48
61
4342
105
96
3848
117
3844
118
4437
177
4433
0
0
0
3
26
23
10
8
4
33
39
34
39
27
12
5
46
41
11
1 1 12 2 2
10
43
61
3631
25
16
1515
14
13
8
31
6
5
18
7
7
52
34
5
3
3
2
1
64
75
16
5
3
46
74
5765
5546
58
0*
8171
404449
27
6773 71
59 63 65
8375 77
57
71
2
68 80 70 73
36 32 20 30 27
* There was insu�cient data to evaluate FRL representation in advanced social studies courses.
Percent of Respondents
MANY TEACHERS TEACH A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT DIFFERS MEANINGFULLY FROM THE MAKEUP OF THE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THEIR DEPARTMENT.
Percentage of teachers whose classrooms are similar (<10% different) or different (>10% different) from the students in their department.
18 » Time for Change?
Leader PerceptionsSchool and district administrators perceive that barriers to changing their use of time may be too high to overcome—but taking on the challenge could help to achieve their top goals.
Schoolanddistrictleaderscitestructuralbarriersthatlimittheirabilitytomakechangestoschoolcalendars,bellschedules,dailystartandendtimes,andacademicprogrammingstrategies.
Challengesarenotsmall,andtheydorequireplanning,prioritization—butarenotinsurmountable.
Here are the top five challenges As described by administrators—and some ideas for how to address them
1. Lack of Shared Vision and Open Communication
“Betweendistrictleaders,schoolleaders,staff,teacherswhenitcomestohowdecisionsabouttimeinschoolismade”
“Lackofopencommunicationleadstomistrustbetweenthevariousstakeholders,sowhenadminwantsschedulechange,higherlikelihoodofpush-backfromothers”
2. Path Dependency
“Smallcommitteescomposedof‘oldtimers’makechangesretime,sonewideasasnotvalued/includedintimescheduling/organizationdecisions”
3. Current Schedule Fragmentation
“Teacherstoodistracted/overworkedtoembrace/acclimatetoschedulingandotherchanges”
4. Concern re Continuation of Past Dysfunctions
“Bynothonoringallneeds:Teacher,Admin,Staff,Student,Parent”
5. Lack of Collaboration
“Thisisbothaschedulingcollaborationtimeproblemandacommunicationproblem”
“LackofCollaborationBetweenTeachersandAdmin”
“LackofCollaborationBetweenTeachersandTeachers”
“LackofCollaborationBetweenTeachersandParents”
“LackofCollaborationBetweenDistrictandTeachers”
19 » Time for Change?
Topconcerns,however,arenotdirectlylinkedtochangingthewaytheyusetime,buttoconcernsabouttheoveralloperationalhealthoftheirorganizations.Leadersmayfindthattakingthetimetomakeprogressonthesebarriersnotonlyenablesthemtomakechangestothewaystheyusetime,buttoincreaseoveralloperationalefficiencyinwaysthathelpmakeschoolsanddistrictsmorefunctional.Structuringtimemoreintentionallyaroundtheneedsofallstudentsareboundtohaveacompoundedpositiveeffectonstudentlearningoutcomes.
Educator NeedsSchool and district leaders need more and better data about the use of time to help guide improvements to when—and what—students learn.
Whiletimecanbeapowerfulsourceofimprovementasthefoundationforpursuitofvirtuallyallteachingandlearningpriorities,itistoofrequentlyoverlookedordismissed—asevidencedbyremarkablyfewchangestotheaverageschoolyear,day,andscheduleoverthelastseveraldecadesandthepersistenceofcommonlyusedstructuresacrossschoolsanddistrictsofallkinds.Thegoodnewsisthatpromisingtoolsandexamplesofsuccessacrossavarietyofcontextsmeanthattime’suntappedpotentialcouldbethenextmajorinnovationineducation.
Thefield—includingeducators,researchers,andtechnologyproviders—needstocontinueinvestinginmakingtimemoreflexibleforourstudentsandstaff.Offeringtoolsandstrategiestoschoolleaderstohelpthemadjusttimebasedontheneedsoftheirstudentsisimperative.Weneedmoredataonwhatschoolsaredoingaroundtimetogatherevidencearoundwhatleadersarealreadyexperimentingwith.
Togetstarted,schoolanddistrictleadersmightconsider an auditofhowtheirschoolsareusingtimeandschedulingstudentstounderstandequity,access,andwhetherthattimeismeetingtheneedsofallstudents.Investigatewaystogiveeducatorsinsightintowhataspectsoftimeuseneedstochange,andgivethemthetoolstomeasureprogressontheirpriorities.Alsoconsidersurveyingeducatorsabouthowtimeisbeingusednowtoguidedecision-makingaboutchangestoprioritize.
Researchersandtechnologyproviderscanalsohelp.Thefieldneedsbettertoolsandanalysistogatherinformationabouttimeuseandidentifyandbetterunderstandtheimpactofstrategiesthatmaximizelearningopportunitiesforstudentsandstaff.Finally,howeveritisgathered,schoolsanddistrictsneedaccesstomoreandbetterdataonhowtimeisbeingusedtodriveinnovationandproblem-solving.
Withmoreproactiveattentiontotime,theopportunitiesforincreasingaccesstothelearningstudents(andteachers)needexpandexponentially.
20 » Time for Change?
About the AuthorsSarah Silverman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Whiteboard AdvisorsSarahSilvermancollaborateswithleadersofinnovativeorganizationstohelpdrivesocialchange.Sheisalongtimeadvocateforpracticeapproachestosocialjusticeanddata-drivenstrategiesforequity.Whenshe’snotwritingoranalyzing,she’sspendingtimewithherfamilyoutside.
Kimberly Swan, Head of Abl’s Unlocking Time ProjectKimberlySwanlovesdesigningdigitalproductsthatchangeheartsandminds.ShejoinedAbltoleadtheUnlockingTimeproject,whichempowersK-12schoolleaderstorethinkhowtheyusetimeinschools.Duringheryearswithdesignagencies,KimberlyledambitiousdigitalprogramsforcustomerslikePG&E,T-Mobile,andWilliams-Sonoma.Mostrecently,shecreatedtheCompareandConnectK12websitewithEducationSuperHighwaywhichbroughtpricetransparencytoInternetaccessforschooldistrictleadersandenabledschoolstobuymorebandwidthatalowercost.ChallengeandadventurearepartofherDNA,whethersheisbackpacking,leadingthePTA,orbikingdownthebacksideofHawkHillonherSamHillborne.
Scott Ziolko, Head of Data Science, AblScottZiolkoleadsAbl’sDataScientistsinbuildingresearch-backedtoolstoimproveequityinK-12education.PriortoworkingatAblheledteamsindeliveringadaptivecontentforK-12EnglishandMathematicsstudentsandledeffortstobetterunderstandandsupportstudentsintransitioningfromhighschooltocommunitycollegeandfromcommunitycollegeto4-yearinstitutions.Inadditiontoeducationresearchhehasmanypublicationsinmedicaljournalsandco-foundedasoftwareconsultancy.Whenhestepsawayfromdataanalyses,hecanoftenbefoundbiking,traveling,andtakingphotographs.
Boróka Bó, Doctoral Candidate in Demography & Sociology, UC BerkeleyBorókaBóisaresearcher,mathematicaldemographeranddatascientist.Shespecializesinincorporatingamixedmethodsapproachtounderstandcomplexsocialphenomena,combiningmultiplequalitativemethodswithdemographicmethodsandperspectives.Herresearchfocusesonuncoveringmechanismsthatlinksociotemporaldisparitiestoinequalitiesinwell-being.Borókahasheldleadershippositionsinmultiplenationaleducationorganizations,includingTimelyInc,theTransylvanianCommunityFoundation,UCSF’s1stGentoCollegeOrganization,theAllianceforRefugeeYouthEducationandtheUniversityofColoradoBoulder’sStaffCouncilandHealthCenter.BorókaearnedanM.A.inSociologyandanM.S.inDemographyfromUCBerkeley.ShealsoholdsanM.S.inChineseMedicineandaB.AinSociologyfromUCBoulder.Whennotponderingtheminutiaoftime,shelovestraveling,hiking,collectingrocks,paintingandplayingherdidgeridoos.
21 » Time for Change?
About the DataThisreportreliesondatafromthreesources.BetweenJuly2018andMay2019,nearly4,000schoolsweresurveyedonhowtheystructuredtimeforstudentsandstaff,collectingdatafromageographicallyrepresentativesampleofUSpublicK-12schools.Thissurveycontainsadministratorpriorities,goalsandasnapshotoftheoverallstructureoftimeduringtheschoolday,weekandyear.Asubsetoftheseadministratorsalsoforwardedananonymous,in-depthsurveytotheirstaff(4,155teacherandsupportstaffresponsesareincludedinthisreport).Thesecondsurveyqueriesteachersaboutawiderangeofschedule-relatedtopicsofinteresttothem.Someoftheseare:timeavailabilityforneededcollaborationandprofessionaldevelopment;primaryinfluencesoverhowtheirtimeisorganizedduringtheschoolday;areastheywouldliketoseeimprovementon;andwork-lifebalance.TheabovetwodatasetswerelinkedwithpubliclyavailabledatafromGreatSchoolsandtheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics.Thisallowedustoassesspartoftherelationshipbetweenequity,county-leveleconomiccharacteristicsandtheorganizationoftimeinUSpublicschools.Thethirddatasourcecomesfromapproximately100schoolsthatusedtheAblMasterScheduler.This dataset contains student demographic information and detailed student and staffschedules.Forallthreedatasources,datacollectionisongoing,asmoreschooladministratorsrealizetheimportanceofauditinghowtimeisstructuredintheirschools.
DATASETS
Wecollectedthefollowingdatasetstodotheanalysisinthisreport:
1. SchoolSurvey—asurveyof3,758schoolstocollectdataonhowschoolsstructuretimeforstudentswithintheday,weekandyear.(read the questions and aggregate resultsoftheschoolsurvey)
2. StaffSurvey—asurveyof4,155schoolstaffmembersat202schoolstogatheropinionsfromschoolstaffonhowtimeisusedintheirschool(read the questions andaggregateresultsofthestaffsurvey)
3. MasterSchedules—155masterschedulesspanning2-3yearsfrom52schools(34highschools)weregatheredthroughimplementationoftheAbl Master Scheduler
SURVEY PREPARATIONS AND PRE-TESTS
Thesurveysusedweredesignedbyateamofeducators,K-12schoolleaders,datascientistsandsurveymethodologistsincludingstaffatAlwaysBeLearning,Inc.(Abl),andadditionaldomainexperts.Theschoolsurveyincludestopicssuchasapproachtoteachingandlearning,schedulingpriorities,lengthoftheschoolday,andthestructureoftimeduringtheday,weekandyear.Thestaffsurveyincludestopicssuchashowmuchtimestaffhastocollaborateandhowmuchstaffmembersagreewithhowtimeisstructuredattheirschool.
22 » Time for Change?
Thesurveyswerefurthermodified,refined,andimprovedthroughdiscussionswiththeleadresearcherandprofessionalorganizations,followingpre-testsconductedbyresearchers.Thepre-testswereconductedonanavailabilitysampleof95organicschooladministratorrespondents(whomainlylearnedabouttheinitiativeatprofessionalconferences).Duringpre-tests,ambiguousquestionsweremodifiedtobettercapturetheexperiencesofeducators.Theflowofthesurveywasalsoadjustedtokeepparticipantcomfortandtime-availabilityinmind.
DATA COLLECTION
Whilesomeusersdiscoveredthesurveysthroughinternetsearches,thebulkofthedatacollectionwascarriedoutbyatrainedteamof30surveyors.Theinterviewswereconductedoverthephonebetween7amand5pmlocaltime.ThedatacollectionwascarriedoutbetweenFebruary15,2019andMay5,2019.DataentryandcleaningwasconductedbetweenMay6,2019andJuly25,2019.Theleadresearcherontheprojectwasresponsiblefortrainingthesurveyorsandcheckingforqualitycontrol,bothwhenitcomestodataentryandwhenitcomestofollowinguponnon-responsestoparticularitems.
Whilecontrolproceduresdidnotrevealanysystemicproblemswhichmightnegativelyimpacttheoverallqualityofthedata,qualitycontrolproceduresanddebriefingswiththeinterviewersandrespondentsindicatethat,insomecases,data-collectionactivitiesfacedsomeproblems.Mostofthemwererelatedtothelengthofafewoftheavailableresponsecategoriesintheattitudinalquestionscontainedinthesurvey.Althoughcutsweremadeafterpre-tests,someoftheresponseoptionswerelongwhenitcomestotheavailableoptionsrespondentscouldselectfrom.Thisisespeciallysalientinthecaseofthequestionsqueryingrespondentsabouttheirprioritiesandapproachtoteachingorlearning.Despitetheseissues,theaveragedurationofthephoneinterviewswasapproximately8minutes.Theaveragedurationoftheonlinesurvey(forthoserespondentswhochosetocompletethequestionnaireonline)isapproximately3minutes.Overall,theschoolsurveydidnotposeasignificanttemporalburdenforrespondents,andinmanycases,educatorsnotedthattheygreatlyappreciatebeingsolicitedforthestudy.Respondentsreceivednoincentivesforparticipatinginthestudy.
Uponcompletionoftheschooladministratorsurveytheschoolleaderreceivedanemailwithaschoolspecificlinktoallowthemtoopt-intocompletingthestaffsurvey.185schoolleaderschosetosharethesurveywiththeirstafftoanswertheadditionalquestionsaboutstafftimeutilizationandpreferences.Staffmemberswhocompletedthesecondsurveydidsoanonymouslywithnowaytomatcharesponsetoaspecificstaffmember.TheAblteamthenproducedacustomreportwithaggregatedresponsesforeachschoolleaderwhorequestedthesummary.
Inadditiontothesurveysdescribedabove,52schools(34highschools)sharedmasterschedulesforatleastoneacademicschoolyear.Themasterscheduledatacontainedtheperiodleveldetailedstaffandstudentschedulesfortheirschool.Themasterscheduledatawasacquiredbyqueryingtheschoolordistrictstudentinformationsystemandwasutilizedforboththeresearchbackingthisreportandinsupportingtheschoolinbuildingandimprovingtheirnextmasterschedule.IfthemajorityofthestudentsattheschoolwerealsoeligibleforfreeorreducedlunchthenjoiningthisstudyandsharingtheirscheduledataalsomadethemeligibleforgrantstooffsetthesubscriptiontotheAblMasterSchedulingsoftware.
23 » Time for Change?
SAMPLING METHODOLOGY
ThetargetuniverseincludedK-12schooladministratorsintheUnitedStates.AccordingtotheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES),thereareapproximately98,000publicschoolsand34,000privateschoolsintheUS.ThefiguresprovidedbyNCESfluctuatebyapproximately500schoolsperyear,asstrugglingschoolscloseandnewschoolsopen.ThegoalofthestudywastocollectarepresentativesampleofK-12schoolsintheUS.Toaccomplishthis,inthebeginningof2019,theleadresearcherontheprojectmanuallydownloadedeachstate’slistsofschooldistricts,associatedschoolsandcontactinformationforschoolleaders.Theselistswerethencross-checkedforaccuracywithindividualschoolwebsitesbeforeoutreach.However,inselectstates,privateschoollistswerehardtoaccess.Becauseofthis,wealsoincorporatedasmallboostsample,comprisedofanationwide,quasi-randomsampleofprivateschoolleaders.
Theproposednationalsamplewascollectedviaarandom,stratified,multi-stageprocess.Stratificationcriteriawere:1)K-12schoolsineverystateintheUnitedStatesplustheDistrictofColumbia;2)residencearea(urbanandrural);and3)sizeofurbanlocalities.Table1presentsthedistributionof3793interviewswithschooladministratorsbythestratificationcriteriamentionedpreviously.TocalculatethenumberofinterviewsallocatedineachcellofthetablewehaveemployedthemostrecentofficialstatisticsproducedbytheNationalCenterforEducationStatistics,downloadedfromtheirwebsiteinJanuaryof2019.
Table 1. Unlocking Time Sample Distribution
Locale Survey Sample % NCES % % difference
City 23% 27% 4.7%
Suburban 38% 31% 3.1%
Town 18% 14% -4.7%
Rural 31% 28% -3.0%
AsTable1aboveshows,whencomparingourdatatoNCES,weslightlyoversampledschoolslocatedinsmalltowns(4.7%)andinruralareas(3.0%).Weslightlyundersampledschoolslocatedincities(4.7%)andsuburbs(3.1%).Overall,however,oursamplecloselymatchesthenationalschoolpopulationasawhole.
Ineachstate,schooldistrictswererandomlyselected.Ineachschooldistrict,werandomlyselectedK-12schoolstosurvey.Wethencalledeachschool,requestingtospeaktotheprincipalorwithoneoftheassistantprincipals.Whenwewereabletoreachourtargetadministrators,weconductedtheadministratorsurveyoverthephone,andencouragedthemtoalsodistributetheteachersurveys.Weadditionallysentpersonalizedfollow-upemails,thankingthemfortheirtime.Yet,thereweretimeswhenaprincipaloranassistantprincipalwerenotavailable.Inthesecases,wewereoftenforwardedtoanotheravailableschooladministrator.Incaseslikethis,wealsoalertedtheprincipalstoourinitiativevialeavingavoicemailforthemtodouble-checktheanswers,andwealsosentapersonalizedemaildoingthesame.
24 » Time for Change?
Figure 1. Geographic coverage
Ourresponseratesrangedfrom50%to80%,dependingonthestateandschooldistrictinquestion.Onthewhole,rurallocalitieswereslightlymorereceptivetocompletingthesurvey,withtheseprincipalsalsotakingtheinitiativetoalertusthattheyforwardedourstudytoprincipalpeers.Figure1visuallyshowsthegeographicdistributionofournationallyrepresentativesampleofschoolsurveys.
SAMPLE AND DATASET CHARACTERISTICS
Datacollectionisongoing,asmoreeducationthought-leadersrealizetheimportanceofauditinghowtimeisstructuredintheirschools.But,inordertoaidexistingeffortsateducationreformsinK-12schoolsintheUS,releaseofthereportisaccompaniedbyapublicreleaseonanonymizeddatafrom3,758completedschoolsurveyresponses.Forthesakeofthisinitialpublicrelease,wedroppedincompletesurveysandthosewhoself-selectedintothestudyfromoutsidetheUnitedStates.Toaidmorenuancedanalyses,theschoolsurveysweremergedwithdatafromtheNCES.Tomaintainrespondentanonymity,wehaveremovedschoolnames,addresses,principalnamesandemails.Toenablefutureresearchonthetopic,wepreservedschooltypes,statesandlocalitydesignations.
ANONYMIZED DATASET
Theanonymouspublicdatasetcontainsthefollowingadministrativevariables:• “state”=statetheschoolislocatedin• “type”=typeofK-12school(public,private,charter)• “school_type”=regular,specialeducation,vocational,alternative• “locale”=11-City:Large,12-City:Mid-size,13-City:Small,21-Suburb:Large,22-Suburb:
Mid-size,23-Suburb:Small,31-Town:Fringe,32-Town:Distant,33-Town:Remote,41-Rural:Fringe,42-Rural:Distant,43-Rural:Remote
• “level”=p(pre-elementary),e(elementary),m(middle),h(high)
Therestofthedatasetcontainsitemsfromtheschoolsurvey. Downloadtheanonymizeddataset
25 » Time for Change?
About Unlocking Time
UnlockingTimeisanimpactprojectproducedbyAblthathelpsK12schoolsadopttimestrategiesthatfuelstudent-centeredlearning.ThroughsupportfromtheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation,theUnlockingTimewebsiteservesasa
hubforeverythingrelatedtotimeinschools,includingavisualencyclopediaofbellschedules,practicaltimestrategiesforschoolstotry,andalibraryofsupportingtoolsandresources.Thesitefeaturesafreesurveytooltohelpschoolleadersunderstandwhattheirstaffthinksabouttheircalendars,bellschedule,academicprogramming,andstafftime.AccessfreetoolsandresourcesatUnlockingTime.org.
About Abl
Ablisaneducationsoftwareandservicescompanythatispassionateaboutequity.Abltakesanoperations-firstapproach,understandingaccesstocourses,studentequity,andteacherequitythroughthelensofthemasterschedule.Ablworkswith
schooldistrictleaderstonotonlyevaluateequitableopportunities,butusetheresultstotakeactionthroughtheschoolscheduletocreatesystemicchange.LearnmoreatAblschools.com.
www.unlockingtime.org
www.ablschools.com
February2020