Your work matters.

You’re working with your team to start developing next year’s plan. You’re thinking about goals and it is time to put the master schedule together. Before you do, look back at this past year’s schedule. What does this schedule say about your priorities?

Let’s take a look at a sample (click to view) together. What do you notice?

Notices:

• There is time on all schedules for Literacy, Writing, and Math.
• There is no specified time for Science or Social Studies.
• Every grade level has an IMPACT and the BLITZ time.
• There are 2 hours of Literacy instruction in K-2. 3rd grade has 90 minutes, 4th has 85 and 5th has 75 (assuming BLITZ is literacy).
• There is ~1 hour of Writing instruction.

Wonderings:

• BLITZ time might be a time for interventions/enrichment or small group instruction.
• BLITZ time seems to be included during the literacy block.
• IMPACT might be a time for enrichment classes such as Art and Music.
• Does Literacy time address Science and Social Studies content?

What does this say about this elementary school’s priorities? Literacy, Writing and Math are clearly a priority. They are clearly listed on the schedule. The amount of time provided in K-2 leaves room for both building foundational skills and language comprehension skills in addition to working on writing skills and composition. I’m left wondering how children are learning Science and Social Studies content. Knowing how important it is to combine literacy through knowledge-building activities (learn more here), I wonder if this is a missed opportunity. To investigate this further, I would want to hold up this schedule to the school’s goals - are we seeing that time has been given to the school improvement goals outlined for the year?

Your turn. Think about your upcoming school year. As you are drafting your master schedule, start thinking about what you and your teams have deemed a priority. Then begin reflecting on whether you’ve allowed the time to make that happen. If an outside observer looked at your draft, what would they see? How does the schedule mirror your priorities?

Download this PDF resource for help: Master Schedule Reflection Question.pdf​

BONUS: It’s no secret that I believe instructional coaches are a secret ingredient to success in schools. However, schedules are one of the biggest hurdles they face. If you are naming that as a priority, consider whether your schedule allows for it. When are coaches meeting with teachers? If this time isn’t built in to your schedule, you’ve doomed it from the start.

Leadership Moves:

1. Clearly identify your priorities
2. Design a schedule that mirrors your priorities
3. Have an outside observer review your schedule and name the related priorities

What does this mean for me?

You have an opportunity to design your daily “life” at school in a way that directly influences the outcomes of your priorities. Will your schedule support your goals?

Where have we been?

May is a time for closing out the school year (for many of us - sorry June folks). I would like to extend gratitude to the clients with whom we partnered this year. Working with you has brought me so much joy and I cannot wait to hear more about where things are going for you. I can attest that my clients are the best. Thank you for all that you do. Your work matters.