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.
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty
School & District Management 6 Ways to Bring Students and Staff Back to Schools
Here are six models for how to operate your schools within social distancing requirements and health and safety requirements.
Madeline Will, June 10, 2020
6 min read
Teacher Jane Cooper uses a 2-meter (just over 6 feet) ruler and pipe to check seat spacings in her classroom at Lostock Hall Primary School in Poynton, England.
Teacher Jane Cooper uses a 2-meter (just over 6 feet) ruler and pipe to check seat spacings in her classroom at Lostock Hall Primary School in Poynton, England.
AP Photo/Jon Super
Student Well-Being & Movement The New Routines for Students When Schools Reopen
Ideas for how to overhaul the routines of the traditional school day for students, from ditching lockers to providing meals in classrooms.
Madeline Will, June 10, 2020
6 min read
1 hero stephanie shafer
Stephanie Shafer for Education Week
School & District Management Explainer The Socially Distanced School Day
Classrooms. Hallways. Extracurriculars. Every facet of the school day will have to be fundamentally altered when students return to school.
Madeline Will, June 10, 2020
4 min read
School & District Management 6 Big Barriers to Restructuring School Schedules
Before districts can overhaul a traditional school schedule, they're likely to face a wide variety of obstacles.
Mark Lieberman, February 25, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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
BRIC ARCHIVE
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
BRIC ARCHIVE
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
BRIC ARCHIVE
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