It’s About Time
As student achievement goes, American schools are not keeping up with our counterparts around the world. One of the reasons always given for the disparity is the amount of time we spend on instruction compared to other countries. The common assumption is that we must add more time for instruction: more minutes in the day, more days in the year. In a study conducted by WestEd entitled Improving Student Achievement by Extending School: Is It Just a Matter of Time?, the authors show that merely adding minutes or days of instructional time shows little or no effect on student learning. The study determines there are three distinct kinds of instructional time:
- Allocated Time – the term most often used when discussing instructional time, and refers to the actual number of hours and minutes allocated for instruction.
- Engaged Time – the time when students are participating in learning activities. Engaged time is a sub-set of allocated time. Discipline issues, announcements and other classroom management activities can still interrupt engaged time.
- Academic Learning Time – this is the most important kind of time, but the smallest sub-set of allocated time. Academic learning time is that precise moment when an instructional activity is perfectly aligned with a student’s readiness and learning occurs.
The study goes on to say that the research on instructional time concludes that:
- There is little or no relationship between allocated time and student achievement.
- There is some relationship between engaged time and achievement.
- There is a larger relationship between academic learning time and achievement.
We encourage reading the entire report and then analyzing the time spent on instruction in your district. Is your instructional time simply allocated or can you show evidence that a majority of your time is spent in engaging activities that can be aligned to student needs to provide more academic learning opportunities?
What We Are Hearing From You
Any way you slice it, Daviess County Public Schools (DCPS) would be considered a successful district. Daviess County is not content, however, to stay where it is. In Daviess County, the measure of success is that all students make a successful transition to adult life. That’s why the district is excited to have been selected to participate in the Executive Leadership Program for Educators at Harvard University. DCPS is focusing on building knowledge and skills in three essential elements of leadership: systemic thinking and alignment; adaptive leadership and team building; and leadership for instructional improvement. Through group discussions, book studies and focus groups involving all stakeholders, including representatives from colleges and businesses, DCPS is working to define two key elements that will take education to the next level: 1) defining good instruction; and 2) defining what students need to know and be able to do upon graduation from high school. Lora Wimsatt, director of Community Relations in Daviess County, said, “The world is changing very quickly, and we recognize that education must also change. Our goal is to prepare students for a successful transition to the expectations that await them in postsecondary education and the 21st century world of business and industry. At Daviess County Public Schools, we expect success!”
For information about the DCPS leadership program, contact Lora Wimsatt.
PD Opportunities Growing
If you haven’t looked recently, the ISN PD Opportunities page has many new opportunities. There are PD experiences on a variety of topics. Check it out!
Quotable Quotes
“We don’t know the half of what kids can do” Ted Sizer