Identifying & Minimizing Time Distractors

Category : Ensuring Equitable Access and Implementation

Level : School

To what extent does the school work to minimize the amount of learning time lost during each school day, week, and year?

Expanding and improving students’ learning time and opportunity means addressing those policies, practices, and structures that can distract teachers and students from teaching and learning. For example, to what extent is learning time lost to discipline policies and practices such as suspensions and expulsions? Other aspects of the school day that can be improved to allow for more and better learning time include minimizing transitions between classes, ensuring that students are accurately scheduled in appropriate classes, and minimizing school closures.

• School closures are minimized.
• Disparities by subgroups in retentions, suspensions, and expulsion rates decrease.
• Transitions within and between classes are minimized.
• Mis-scheduling of students decreases.