Instructional Time
Standards & Accountability
As Common-Core Test Season Begins, Teachers Feel Pressure
A combination of earlier testing times and interruptions in instruction due to snow days is putting pressure on teachers to cover as much content as they can to get students ready.
Teaching
Schools Test Impact of Blending Technology, Longer School Days
The pairing of blended learning and an expanded school day hits the sweet spot for improving K-12 education, concludes a new guide for educators and policymakers.
Federal
Do U.S. Teachers Really Teach More Hours?
A new study says U.S. teachers still lead the world in time spent in front of a class—but not as much as everyone thinks.
Teaching
U.S. Teaching Time Greatly Exaggerated Finds New Study
The amount of time that U.S. public school teachers spend teaching has been greatly overstated, according to a new study by Teachers College at Columbia University, and that has led to mistaken comparisons between the U.S. educational system and those of the world's highest-performing countries.
School & District Management
Credit Hours Are Still Useful Measures for Schools, Study Concludes
In an era of "competency-based education," the Carnegie unit remains a "guarantee" that all students are getting a minimum level of learning time, says a new report.
School & District Management
Boston Joins Growing Ranks of Districts With Longer School Days
Advocates predict this month's endorsement from the Boston teachers' union will spur more districts to extend the school day.
Teaching
Opinion
Schools Need to Get Past the Either/Or Approach to Snow Days
It is crucial that districts explore new solutions to the traditional either-or approach to extreme weather situations.
Early Childhood
Pressures Rise as Pace of Kindergarten Increases
As the push for academic content increases at the kindergarten level, educators weigh what's important and what's developmentally appropriate.
Teaching
Opinion
Cast Out the Consultants and Give Teachers More Input
If we want great teachers to continue to be in the classroom and shape school and curriculum decisions, then the district must equip them to take the lead from the classroom, Evin Shinn writes.
Teaching
Opinion
Embrace Hybrid Roles to Keep Effective Teachers Grounded in the Classroom
Teacher experts with big ideas worth trying are out there; it's up to district leadership to recognize their untapped potential, Paul Barnwell says.
Teaching
Opinion
To Collaborate and Lead, Teachers Need District Help
Teachers need to be able to collaborate with their colleagues and step into leadership positions, but, Brittany Austin says, that's almost impossible without more institutional support and time.
Teaching
Opinion
It's Not 'Planning Time' If Teachers Are Told How to Use It
It's not just that teachers need more time for professional learning, Ilana Garon says. It's that they need more control over that time.
Teaching
Opinion
With All This Time Spent Managing, Who Has Time to Teach?
When teachers spend their time being task managers, it takes away from their ability to improve their instruction, Brison Harvey says.
School & District Management
For One Conn. School, Extended School Day a Failed Experiment
The extended-day experiment at Brennan-Rogers School in New Haven, Conn., had exhausted students and teachers without making progress towards closing the achievement gap.
