School Schedules

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

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Year-Round Schooling Explained
Get the facts about year-round schooling, including pros and cons, statistics, and key definitions.
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Julia Rendleman for Education Week
School & District Management Starting High School Later Shows 'Big Impact'
To make better, evidence-based use of time, a district in Illinois changed high school start times from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2020
3 min read
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Isabel Espanol for Education Week
School & District Management Time and Schools: What the Research Says
Education Week presents several studies with best practices for making better use of time that are actionable and effective for K-12.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 25, 2020
4 min read
Students study math in the classroom at Josephine Wascher Elementary in Lafayette, Ore. The McMinnville (Oregon) School District has one of the best success rates in the state for helping students meet math standards.
Students study math in the classroom at Josephine Wascher Elementary in Lafayette, Ore. The McMinnville (Oregon) School District has one of the best success rates in the state for helping students meet math standards.
Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP
Student Achievement Smart Scheduling Puts Students' Needs First
A principal went back to the drawing board on his school's schedule after hearing author Daniel Pink talk about what children really need.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2020
3 min read
Fifth graders, from left, Lenorah Hunt, Brooke Clark, and William Shortt, play during recess at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Va.
Fifth graders, from left, Lenorah Hunt, Brooke Clark, and William Shortt, play during recess at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Va.
Julia Rendleman for Education Week
School & District Management There Are Smart Ways to Use Time to Aid Learning. Why Do So Many Schools Ignore Them?
While a growing body of research offers best practices for using time wisely in schools, a range of barriers often get in the way.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2020
11 min read
First-graders Kavin Prabu, left, and Vasu Selvakumar, select activities from the “recess kit” during a break at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Va.
First-graders Kavin Prabu, left, and Vasu Selvakumar, select activities from the “recess kit” during a break at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Va.
Julia Rendleman for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Doubling Recess Time to Put Play Back in the School Day
The Virginia Beach City schools decided to make a big change, doubling the amount of recess the district offered.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2020
3 min read
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Isabel Espanol for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion Here's How to Make Better Use of the School Day
More than a dozen contributors weigh in on how to improve time-management practices in order to give students and staff a big boost.
February 25, 2020
Student Well-Being & Movement Collection Tick Tock Teach: Why Schools Can't Beat the Clock
Education Week explores some of the ways schools are rethinking class time and the school calendar.
February 25, 2020
Student Well-Being & Movement Leader To Learn From School Lunch as a Lever to Expand Equity and Improve School Climate
Betti Wiggins, the officer of nutrition services for the Houston Independent School District, gives students from low-income families daily access to nutritious meals and provides family-style lunch settings that help teach kids social skills. She is recognized as a 2020 Leader To Learn From.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 19, 2020
7 min read
Man holding large pencil and marking X's  on an oversized calendar showing a 4 day work week.
Gina Tomko/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Four-Day School Weeks Gain Ground in the West
More than 1 in 20 schools in the West has moved to a shortened school week, in hopes of enticing teachers and easing travel times.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2020
1 min read
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Getty
Student Achievement One Big Barrier to Personalized Learning: Time
Encouraging students to work at their own pace is a worthy goal, educators say, but difficult to pull off due to rigid school schedules and other barriers.
Sarah Schwartz, November 5, 2019
8 min read
School lockers with a clock on the wall above.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Starting High School at 8:30? California's Doing It. Should Everyone?
California's new mandate will give researchers an opportunity to study the impacts of later start times on a large scale.
Arianna Prothero, October 21, 2019
5 min read
Best-selling author Daniel Pink breaks down how schools can improve the use of time during a keynote address at Education Week’s 2019 Leaders to Learn From event.
Best-selling author Daniel Pink breaks down how schools can improve the use of time during a keynote address at <i>Education Week</i>’s 2019 Leaders to Learn From event.
T.J. Kirkpatrick for Education Week
Teaching How Schools Can Spend Time More Wisely: 4 Big Tips From Daniel Pink
Move heavy thinking to the beginning of the day, make recess sacred, let higher schoolers sleep in, and mandate choir, says the author.
Alyson Klein, May 13, 2019
6 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Why Lunch, Exercise, Sleep, and Air Quality Matter at School
There’s mounting evidence that addressing basic quality of life issues can improve students’ achievement and well-being.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 12, 2019
17 min read
Children lie down during naptime at a preschool program in a building near the now-shuttered Mildred Jackson Elementary School in Hughes. The parents of these children must decide in a year or two whether to put them on a school bus for the hourlong trip to West Memphis schools or move closer.
Children rest during nap time at a preschool in Hughes, Ark. New research finds that naps help many young children remember what they are learning in school.
Karen Pulfer Focht for Education Week
Early Childhood Nap Time Boosts Learning, Studies Say
Studies are finding that, for many young children, afternoon naps are crucial for consolidating memories and learning.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 11, 2018
4 min read