School Schedules

Start times. Snow days. Year-round schooling. Block scheduling. Four-day weeks. Get research and insights into school calendars

Explainer

Year-Round Schooling Explained
Get the facts about year-round schooling, including pros and cons, statistics, and key definitions.
Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
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School & District Management It's Not Just Snow Days: How Can Districts Work Extreme Weather Into Their Calendars?
Extreme weather that's becoming more frequent is challenging districts with novel choices about when it's safe to stay open.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2024
5 min read
High School Tutor Giving Male Student One To One instruction At Desk
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School & District Management Fitting Tutoring Into the School Day Is Hard. How 3 Principals Made It Work
Three principals persist with high-dosage tutoring, using creative strategies to fit it into busy school schedules.
Olina Banerji, January 24, 2024
6 min read
Calendar 4 day week 012024 1479274096
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School & District Management The Popularity of 4-Day School Weeks, in Charts
As more schools adopt the shorter week, some opinions on the modified schedule might be surprising.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 23, 2024
5 min read
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Unger-Fields was accompanied at the park by her father Roshon Fields.
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Despite initial thoughts that remote learning would spell the end of snow days, many schools reverted to them in 2024 during cold, snowy weather.
Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP
School & District Management In: Cocoa. Out: Chromebooks. E-Learning Didn't Kill Old-Fashioned Snow Days, Educators Say
Remember when virtual learning was going to put paid to snow days? These educators don't, either.
Evie Blad, January 19, 2024
5 min read
Man holding large pencil and marking X's  on an oversized calendar showing a 4 day work week.
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School & District Management Recruitment Strategy? Teachers React to 4-Day School Weeks
A new survey asks educators how the schedule would affect their likelihood of taking a job.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 18, 2024
5 min read
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School & District Management What the Research Says 10 Education Studies You Should Know From 2023
These studies yielded new insights on social media, ChatGPT, and math, among other topics.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 21, 2023
7 min read
Illustration of large calendar with people scheduling and planning with post it notes, pencil, laptop and magnifying glass
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School & District Management What the Research Says What a Difference a Day Makes: How Schools Can Harness More Learning Time
Schools that are in session the longest provide five more weeks a year of learning time than those at the bottom of the scale.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 12, 2023
2 min read
Crossing guard Pamela Lane waves at a school bus passing her intersection as she crosses students going to Bluford Elementary School on Sept. 5, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Crossing guard Pamela Lane waves at a school bus passing her intersection near Bluford Elementary School on Sept. 5, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
School & District Management What's Stopping Later School Start Times That Support Teen Sleep? Bus Schedules, for One
See practical strategies for districts looking to move start times to accommodate teen sleep schedules.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 28, 2023
5 min read
Illustration of a woman sitting on the rim on a large magnifying glass which shows a web search page. Floating around the woman are the terms and phrases: High-Dose tutoring, Accelerated Learning, and Learning Loss vs. Recovery.
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Student Achievement Academic Recovery: Terms to Know
A primer on what educators should know about the most common interventions for academic recovery.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 25, 2023
6 min read
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2023. Several states are making school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, and congressional supporters of universal school meals have launched a fresh attempt to extend free meals for all kids nationwide.
Students wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. Several states are making school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, and congressional supporters of universal school meals have launched a fresh attempt to extend free meals for all kids nationwide.
Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
Student Well-Being What the Research Says Teachers Say Students Don’t Have Enough Time to Eat Lunch. Here’s How to Change That
The vast majority of teachers warn their students don’t have enough time to actually eat their food.
Sarah D. Sparks & Arianna Prothero, September 20, 2023
7 min read
Staff at Forest Hill Elementary School in Harford County, Md., welcomed students back to school on Aug. 28, 2023.
Staff at Forest Hill Elementary School in Harford County, Md., welcomed students back to school on Aug. 28, 2023.
Lloyd Fox/The Baltimore Sun via TNS
School & District Management Why Does the Start of the School Year Vary So Much?
Decisions around school start dates don't necessarily prioritize student learning.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 1, 2023
4 min read
Kindergarten students explore various activity centers in their classroom at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Kindergarten students explore various activity centers in their classroom at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017. Four-day school weeks raise questions for families on how to care for their youngest children when schools are closed on work days.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
School & District Management 4-Day School Weeks Are Gaining Support. What Do Educators Have to Say?
The four-day school week is rising in popularity.
Caitlyn Meisner, August 29, 2023
5 min read
Teaching assistant Leonardo Baker, right, greets students arriving at Franklin High School on Dec. 12, 2018, in Seattle. High school students are getting more sleep in Seattle, according to a study on later school start times. Teenagers at Franklin and another Seattle high school wore activity monitors to discover whether a later start to the school day would help them get more sleep. It did, adding 34 minutes of slumber a night, and they reported less daytime sleepiness and grades improved.
Teaching assistant Leonardo Baker, right, greets students arriving at Franklin High School on Dec. 12, 2018, in Seattle, where students start school later in the morning.
Elaine Thompson/AP
Student Well-Being Should Teens Start School Later? Educators Have Strong Feelings
Some love it. Others say it's logistically impossible.
Caitlyn Meisner, August 25, 2023
5 min read
School entrance with a flag in background.
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School & District Management 4-Day School Weeks Surge in Popularity Among American Adults
A majority of U.S. adults support 4-day school weeks and paying teachers more, according to a key poll on public attitudes toward schools.
Arianna Prothero, August 24, 2023
3 min read