8
IT’S ABOUT TIME
These are all legitimate and difficult logistical questions that can stall a school’s efforts to provide students additional time for learning. Fortunately, there are elementary schools across North America and beyond that have grappled with these questions, overcome the obstacles, and seen significant and sustained improvement in student achievement. Having some of these schools share specific, proven solutions is the purpose of this anthology.
Proven Solutions From Real-Life Schools There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “To understand the road ahead, ask those coming back.” The contributors to this anthology work on the frontlines of education. They have rolled up their sleeves, worked collaboratively with their colleagues, and addressed the obstacles that hinder a school’s ability to provide students with systematic, timely, targeted, and directive interventions during the school day. We have purposely selected a wide variety of schools for this anthology, including: • K–5 schools, K–6 schools, a K–8 school, and a district perspective • Suburban schools and urban schools • Smaller schools and larger schools—even a virtual school • Demographics that range from majority at-risk to extremely affluent • Locations that range from Minnesota to Texas and from Arizona to Virginia • Schools that grew from good to great, as well as schools that moved from the brink of state takeover to state awards While the specific demographics and schedules vary from school to school, the essential outcomes are the same: each of these schools created the time and processes necessary to ensure that all students had access to both rigorous core instruction and the extra individualized support needed to achieve these outcomes. Equally important, educators at each of the contributing schools realized that a new schedule alone would not be enough. Success with this goal requires creating a school culture focused on student learning and collaborative structures. To this end, these schools implemented Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work™ practices. The solutions we offer in each of the following chapters are by-products of the collective efforts of all staff members working together to answer the four critical questions of a PLC (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010). 1. What do we expect students to learn? 2. How do we know they are learning it?