The authors argue that, amid the stresses of their jobs, educators are expected to continuously "recharge for survival" rather than being given opportunities for authentic recovery. To make teaching jobs more sustainable, they write, schools need to rethink the way they conceive of time, space, and connection, and attend to the…

Math education consultant Marilyn Burns finds that teachers ask her the same three questions so often she's named them "The Big Three": What can I do with students who finish their math work more quickly?, How can I free up time to work with kids who need extra help?, and How can I differentiate math learning experiences? Burns, who…

The Clayton Christiansen Institute maintains a database of more than 400 schools across the United States that have implemented some form of blended learning, which combines online learning with brick-and-mortar classrooms. Data the Institute has collected over the past six months suggests three trends as this model continues to evolve and mature.…

According to a 2010 report by ACT, "Only 31 percent of students are performing at a college-and-career reading level with respect to successfully understanding complex text" (p. 5). This statistic demonstrates what educators know: Middle and high school students face numerous challenges in reading, understanding, connecting to, and…

Child psychologist Peg Dawson explains that some students who appear to be lazy simply lack the executive skills they need to stay organized and get their work done. She tells the story of Josh, a student with attention problems whose academic performance started plummeting in middle school. With the help of a coach, Josh learned to manage his…

This literature review concludes that, although time spent is not so consistently related to achievement as it may seem, studies of time use in schools provide important information that can serve as a base for school improvement. (MJL)

Describes a Time Awareness Program initiated at a Kansas City, Missouri, elementary school to address time wastage problems involved with starting the day, changing subjects, and attending assemblies. The key to successful learning is to allow teachers to teach all day without breaking the teaching/learning cycle. (MLH)

School staff can lead, teach, and learn better by defining what has value within their educational organizations. Value-added work is effort leading directly to learning. Waste work is improperly completed effort not tied to learning. Necessary work consists of tasks that keep the school running, but do not directly affect learning. Meetings waste…

Two recent studies have concluded that integrated learning systems have enormous potential but are seldom fully implemented. ILSs can transform classrooms if accompanied by increased time-on-task, computerized learning resources, effective assessment and reporting, guaranteed individualized instruction, and facilitative teachers. Sound…

On Fridays, rather than changing classes, the students at one middle school spend all four team periods with one teacher/adviser as they pursue intensive, independent quarterly learning projects in either science, math, social studies, or English. A program evaluation showed improved student engagement, independent learning, thinking skills, and…