Helping Every Student Succeed: Schools and Communities Working Together
Study Circles Resources Center (2002).
http://www.studycircles.org/en/Resource.14.aspx
This tool explains how study circles engage community members in school improvement efforts and provides the discussion materials necessary for a series of four study groups. Group discussions begin with consideration of what each participant considers a “good education” and progresses to deciding upon specific actions for change.

Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success
NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education. (1996).  Washington, DC.
http://www.nfie.org/publications/charge/section2.htm
This extensive guide identifies ways in which schools and districts can provide time and funding for professional development, ways in which teachers can accept responsibility for their own learning, and ways that the community at large can support professional learning.

What’s Going on in My Child’s School?: A Parent’s Guide to Good Schools
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (2000)
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/family31/
The schools that our children attend today look significantly different than the schools of previous generations.  Often, this difference can cause concern in parents who are unfamiliar with the nature of today’s schools.  This resource provided by SEDL is designed to introduce parents to best practices in education today.  It outlines effective instructional practice and details the kinds of professional development that teachers must engage in to increase their instructional capacity.

Professional Development: A Primer for Parents and Community Members
The Finance Project and the Public Education Network
http://www.publiceducation.org/Teacher_Prof_Dev/resources.asp
This primer explains the basic concepts behind professional development for teachers, describes characteristics of high-quality programs, and outlines the role parents and community members can play in ensuring high-quality professional development.

Get Parents Involved: When Mom and Dad Come to Class, Kids Do Better
Seville, Michael. (2005). Edutopia.
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1310&issue=jun_05
This article describes a program at Christa McAuliffe Elementary, a public school in Silicon Valley, which requires parents to become involved in the school as volunteers. Parents lead lessons based on their personal expertise, act as chaperones on field trips, or provide administrative or technological support after the school day. They also attend a training program that helps parents make active contributions to their children’s schooling.

Grandparents Helping in the Classroom
Christian Science Monitor, March 9, 2006
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0309/p08s02-comv.html?s=hns%20
In this editorial, the Christian Science Monitor reports the mutual benefits experienced by seniors and students when older Americans volunteer in the classroom. Since there will be a dramatic increase in the number of Americans over the age of 65 in the next 15 years, the potential impact of this group is great. The article reports on a recent study of volunteers from Experience Corp in Baltimore and discusses the cost effectiveness of such a program.

Making Time for Adult Learning
Pardini, P. (Spring 1999) Journal of Staff Development
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/pardini202.cfm
This article highlights different methods used by eight schools across the country to create time for teacher collaboration. Strategies include early release, involving students in community service projects, allowing paraprofessionals to cover classes for a limited period of time, and reassessing how faculty meeting time is currently used. The author provides contact information for each of the profiled schools.

Community Partnership Resource Page
The George Lucas Educational Foundation. 
http://www.glef.org/php/keyword.php?id=189
This webpage provides a variety of resources from the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) on school and community partnerships.  It includes articles describing programs in specific school districts and research on the importance of community involvement in general.

10 Things Grandparents and Other Concerned Citizens Can Do to be More Involved
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/involvement/10thingsgrandparent.html
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction describes ten ways in which grandparents and other citizens without children in school can become more involved in education. Suggestions include volunteering in schools as a tutor or mentor, helping children to take advantage of educational resources in the community, and supporting social services that help all children.

How Boston Pilot Schools Use Freedom over Budget, Staffing, and Scheduling To Meet Student Needs 
October 2001. Center for Collaborative Education.
http://www.ccebos.org/pilot_resource_study_011015.pdf
This report provides recommendations for scheduling professional development. They suggest scheduling professional development before and after the school year and holding weekend staff retreats at some points during the school year.  The report includes detailed information and schedules from a case study of professional development at Mission Hill School.

Planning and Conducting Professional Development That Makes a Difference: 
A Guide for School Leaders
Southern Regional Education Board.
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/profdev/00V02_ProfDevGuide.pdf
The authors provide a step-by-step guide to integrating a successful professional development program into a school.  Suggestions for making time include adding more professional development days to the school calendar and scheduling professional development activities during the summer.

Professional Development: Learning from the Best. 
A Toolkit for Schools and Districts Based on the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development
Hassel, Emily. (1999). NCREL.
http://www.ncrel.org/pd/toolkit/lftb.pdf
This toolkit presents the professional development practices of award-winning schools.  The author highlights key lessons from these schools and presents them in four categories: design, implementation, evaluation and improvement, and sharing learning.  Two suggestions related to time are scheduling PD activities on the weekend and doing as much block PD in the summer as possible.

School’s out…it’s time to learn!  Careful planning and follow-through make summer professional learning programs shine 
Holloway, K. (2003). Tools for Schools.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/tools/tools4-03holl.cfm
This article outlines a six-step process  for planning effective summer professional development activities. Emphasis is placed on using student data to drive decision-making and setting specific goals. Also included are sections providing suggestions on locations and costs as well as follow-up sessions.

“Finding the Time to Build Professional Development into the Life of Schools” 
Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success. 
NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). (1996).  Washington, DC.
http://www.nfie.org/publications/charge/section2.htm
NFIE gives two primary recommendations for finding time for professional development: flexible scheduling and an extended school year for teachers. They recommend team teaching as a way to create greater freedom with scheduling and ample opportunity for mentoring relationships.

Time: It’s Made, Not Found
Barkley, S. (Fall 1999) Journal of Staff Development
http://wilsontxt.hwwilson.com/pdffull/02131/1PVLJ/BS0.pdf
Barkley offers a variety of ideas for creating time for planning and collaboration, including restructuring the staff, using technology, and team teaching. He also describes one way in which schools can make 15 hours of time available for the faculty to consider more permanent methods to create out-of-class time for teachers.

Teacher Teaming in Relation to Student Performance: Findings from the Literature 
Spraker, Jean. (2003). Center for District and School Improvement.
http://www.nwrel.org/re-eng/products/TeacherTeaming.pdf
This report investigates the extent to which team teaching improves student achievement and the major factors of team teaching associated with effective learning.  The author describes types of teacher teams and lists pertinent literature according to each type.  She also includes an extensive, annotated list of resources. 

Anytime, Anywhere
Tardif, S.S.  (2004, July/August). Access Learning. 
http://www.ciconline.com/NR/rdonlyres/ekgo4gxymatsqgymta3bxzoss27avfh7rvmknr
4c7nek66wxhecaxlzya5nwsl4piniiq6rh65tgimguy6teeefmu7e/AL_07-04-AnytimeAnywhere.pdf
This link provides descriptions of five of the best online professional development opportunities so that teachers and administrators are not overwhelmed by the amount and variety of information online.   It also provides an online professional development "shopping list" to help readers evaluate different programs on their own.”

Critical Issues: Providing More Time for Professional Development
North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) (2004)
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd600.htm
The authors discuss different means to create time for professional development ranging from “traditional strategies,” such as banking time or creating an extended day, to embedding it within the school day or taking advantage of online opportunities. They list “action options” for school board members, administrators, and teachers, in addition to profiling several schools that have taken creative approaches to integrating professional development. They also include a chart listing different strategies, their requirements, effects on parents, and costs.

E-Learning for Educators: Implementing the Standards for Staff Development
National Staff Development Council (2001).
http://www.nsdc.org/library/strategies/e-learning.pdf
This guide discusses the potential of e-learning to enhance professional development and the drawbacks of relying too heavily on this form of learning. The authors provide guiding questions and a decision matrix to ensure that online professional development opportunities meet the quality standards outlined by the National Staff Development Council and result in real teacher and student learning.

Keys to quality:  Five questions to ask before you choose an online professional development provider
Nussbaum-Beach, S., and Norton, J.  (2004).  Access Learning.
http://www.ciconline.com/NR/rdonlyres/eq32h2xqqbwuvrwg4qi4brvo3v66zxsbmhtrvninq
2mng6naa32hkco7pxw65oxrmezpwbky7dqfwssihwjutp5zt6h/AL_07-04-KeystoQuality.pdf
This article is intended to guide teachers through the selection of online professional development opportunities.  In addition to listing five key questions about professional development resources, the author recommends elated resources ranging from established standards for online professional development opportunities to rubrics for evaluating online professional development opportunities.

Online professional development collection
Cable in the Classroom.
http://www.ciconline.org/Enrichment/Development/default.htm
Cable in the Classroom is an organization dedicated to improving teaching and learning in America by increasing the use of instructional technology.  This link highlights high-quality online professional development programs.  The page includes course descriptions, links, and samples of selected coursework from some of the best electronic learning opportunities.

Successful Online Professional Development
Treacy, B., Kleiman, G., and Peterson, K.  (2002, September).  Learning and Leading with Technology, 30(1), 42-47.
http://www.edtechleaders.org/Resources/articles/SucessfulOPD.pdf
Online professional development opportunities offer many advantages including schedule flexibility for participants as well as content flexibility allowing for direct connections to classroom practice.  This article outlines a model for establishing online professional development programs and describes elements of successful ones.  It also provides descriptions of counties that are currently using online professional development opportunities with their faculties.

Harvard from Home:  How the right mix of online and in-person professional development can lead to lasting improvements in classroom practice
Nussbaum-Beach, S., and Norton, J.  (2004). Access Learning.
http://www.ciconline.com/NR/rdonlyres/efyueti3dprumjkifdxpqaliuxlb5zsrs7fslomlcuihjpq2omy
5n72z7pql3x3v4erludocf6inthhuja6qnqjmzja/AL_07-04-HarvardfromHome.pdf
This article from Access Learning magazine examines the advantages and disadvantages of online professional development.  It explains the importance of balancing online professional development with face-to-face interaction and includes a list of related resources, which offer online learning opportunities for teachers.

Finding Time for Faculties to Study Together
Murphy, C. (Summer 1997) Journal of Staff Development v.18 n.3
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/murphy183.cfm
Carleen Murphy provides an extensive list of options used by different schools to create time for teachers to meet in “study groups.” Sample strategies include early release, late start, hiring substitutes, and involving parents or business partners in special activities.

Making Time for Adult Learning
Pardini, P. (Spring 1999) Journal of Staff Development
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/pardini202.cfm
This article highlights different methods used by eight schools across the country to create time for teacher collaboration. Strategies include early release, involving students in community service projects, allowing paraprofessionals to cover classes for a limited period of time, and reassessing how faculty meeting time is currently used. The author provides contact information for each of the profiled schools.

Think Outside the Clock: Create Time for Professional Learning
Richardson, Joan. (2002). National Staff Development Council.
http://www.nsdc.org/members/tools/tools08-02.pdf
This article suggest strategies for creating time for professional development and describes a variety of approaches already taken by specific schools and districts.  The author suggests “banking” time by lengthening the school day, “buying” time by hiring more teachers or substitute teachers, creating common planning time, and adding professional days to the school year.  Under “Schools that have Found Time,” the author describes a once-a-week late start schedule at Brandon High School in Ortonville, MI. Similarly, the Rockwood School District in Ellisville, MO, has a monthly early release day for professional development.

Critical Issues: Providing More Time for Professional Development
North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) (2004)
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd600.htm
The authors discuss different means to create time for professional development ranging from “traditional strategies,” such as banking time or creating an extended day, to embedding it within the school day or taking advantage of online opportunities. They list “action options” for school board members, administrators, and teachers, in addition to profiling several schools that have taken creative approaches to integrating professional development. They also include a chart listing different strategies, their requirements, effects on parents, and costs.

Professional Development: Learning from the Best
A Toolkit for Schools and Districts Based on the National Awards Program for Model Professional Development. 
Hassel, Emily. (1999). NCREL.
http://www.ncrel.org/pd/toolkit/lftb.pdf
The toolkit presents the practices of award-winning schools in a format that gives step-by-step guidance for implementing effective professional development (PD).  The four steps covered are designing, implementing, evaluating and improving, and sharing learning from PD.  With regard to time, the author suggests scheduling PD activities on the weekend, creating a half-day in students’ schedules, using after school hours on weekday afternoons regularly, doing as much block PD in the summer as possible, organizing joint PD with other districts and spending the saved money on substitutes, and asking staff to voluntarily extend the school day by short amounts of time (e.g., 10 minutes).

Planning and Conducting Professional Development That Makes a Difference: 
A Guide for School Leaders
Southern Regional Education Board.
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/profdev/00V02_ProfDevGuide.pdf
The authors provide a step-by-step approach to integrating a successful professional development program into a school.  Steps include identifying school needs, developing a plan, making room in the school calendar, finding the best workshop leader, preparing teachers for the event, using strategies to increase effectiveness, evaluating the event, planning follow-up activities, and building the capacity of teacher leaders.  Suggestions include giving students early release regularly so that teachers can do professional development.

How Can Schools Make Time for Teacher Learning?  
Sparks, Dennis. (1999) Results.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/results/res3-99learning.cfm
This brief article summarizes approaches to creating time for teacher learning and collaboration, which the National Staff Development Council believes should constitute at least one-quarter of a teachers’ work time.  Recommended approaches include using substitutes to free teachers, using faculty meetings for teacher learning, and lengthening the school day four days a week with early release on the fifth. 

Making Time for Teacher Professional Development
Eric Digest. (1996).
http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-2/time.htm
This digest from the Educational Resources Information Center makes recommendations for how districts and schools can find time for professional development. Suggestions include using teaching assistants to cover class time, lengthening school on four days and giving early release on the fifth, and block scheduling.

“Finding the Time to Build Professional Development into the Life of Schools” 
Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success. 
NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). (1996).  Washington, DC.
http://www.nfie.org/publications/charge/section2.htm
NFIE gives two primary recommendations for finding time for professional development: flexible scheduling and an extended school year for teachers.  The authors also recommend that schools create more effective blocks of time without adding days to teachers’ contracts by grouping “early release” days and other non-instructional time that already exists in teacher contracts.  Large blocks of time (approximately two weeks) are recommended for projects such as redesigning curriculum, incorporating technology, or creating other major school improvement plans. 

Professional Development, Northwest Sampler: Idaho 
Northwest Regional Education Laboratory. June 1998.
http://www.nwrel.org/request/june98/idaho.html
This describes a professional development strategy in Coeur d’ Alene, ID, in which schools select a “teacher leader” for each school to lead professional development on a given issue (e.g., literacy).  The school hires an intern teacher (a certified first-year teacher) to team teach a class with the team leader, allowing the lead teacher time throughout the day to work on professional development issues with other teachers in the school.

Making Time for Adult Learning
Pardini, P. (Spring 1999) Journal of Staff Development
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/pardini202.cfm
This article highlights different methods used by eight schools across the country to create time for teacher collaboration. Strategies include early release, involving students in community service projects, allowing paraprofessionals to cover classes for a limited period of time, and reassessing how faculty meeting time is currently used. The author provides contact information for each of the profiled schools.

Making Time for Teacher Professional Development
Eric Digest. (1996).
http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-2/time.htm
This digest from the Educational Resources Information Center makes recommendations for how districts and schools can find time for professional development.  It includes suggestions such as using teaching assistants to cover class time, lengthening school on four days and giving early release on the fifth, and block scheduling.

Finding Time for Faculties to Study Together
Murphy, C. (Summer 1997) Journal of Staff Development v.18 n.3
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/murphy183.cfm
Carleen Murphy provides an extensive list of options used by different schools to create time for teachers to meet in “study groups.” Sample strategies include early release, late start, hiring substitutes, and involving parents or business partners in special activities.

Think Outside the Clock: Create Time for Professional Learning
Richardson, Joan. (2002). National Staff Development Council.
http://www.nsdc.org/members/tools/tools08-02.pdf
This article gives suggestions for how to find time for professional development and describes a variety of approaches already taken by specific schools and districts.  Under “Schools that have Found Time,” the author describes how Montgomery County, MD has an allocation for a staff development substitute teacher, who earns more than traditional substitutes and only relieves teachers for professional development.

Making Time to Train Your Staff 
Guskey, Thomas. (1998) The School Administrator Web Edition.
http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/1998_08/focGuskey.htm
The author emphasizes the importance of continued learning for educators and recommends changing the school structure in order to provide time for professional development.  The brief lists six strategies and several “guidelines for success” to find time and maximize its effectiveness.

Planning and Conducting Professional Development That Makes a Difference: 
A Guide for School Leaders
Southern Regional Education Board.
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/profdev/00V02_ProfDevGuide.pdf
The authors provide a step-by-step guide to integrating a successful professional development program into a school.  Suggestions for making room in the school calendar include adding more professional development days, scheduling professional development activities during the summer, giving students early release, and using substitutes to allow teachers to attend workshops.

Winning the Substitute Game
District Administration. (2004).
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=807
This article provides strategies for attracting and retaining quality substitutes.  The authors concentrate on the challenges and concerns of substitute teachers themselves.

How Can Schools Make Time for Teacher Learning?  
Sparks, Dennis. (1999) Results.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/results/res3-99learning.cfm
This brief article summarizes approaches to creating time for teacher learning and collaboration, which the National Staff Development Council believes should constitute at least one-quarter of a teachers’ work time.  Recommended approaches include using substitutes to free teachers, using faculty meetings for teacher learning, and lengthening the school day four days a week with early release on the fifth. 

Planning and Conducting Professional Development That Makes a Difference: 
A Guide for School Leaders
Southern Regional Education Board.
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/profdev/00V02_ProfDevGuide.pdf
The authors provide a step-by-step guide to integrating a successful professional development program into a school.  Suggestions for making room in the school calendar include adding more professional development days, scheduling professional development activities during the summer, giving students early release, and using substitutes to allow teachers to attend workshops.

Think Outside the Clock: Create Time for Professional Learning
Richardson, Joan. (2002). National Staff Development Council.
http://www.nsdc.org/members/tools/tools08-02.pdf
This article gives suggestions for how to find time for professional development and describes a variety of approaches already taken by specific schools and districts.  The author suggests “banking” time by lengthening the school day, “buying” time by hiring more teachers or substitute teachers, creating common planning time, and adding professional days to the school year.

District Carves Out Time for New Teachers to Learn
Beerer, Karen.  (2002). Journal of Staff Development. 23 (4) 46-49.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/beerer234.pdf
This article describes the Quakertown (Pa.) Community School District’s approach to induction.  During their first five years, new teachers in this district spend an extra 15 contractual days in a New Teacher Academy, in addition to working with a mentor.  In the last four years, the district has had a retention rate of 89%.  The article describes the different focuses during the five years and shows a sample schedule of academy activities. 

How Boston Pilot Schools Use Freedom over Budget, Staffing, and Scheduling To Meet Student Needs 
October 2001. Center for Collaborative Education.
http://www.ccebos.org/pilot_resource_study_011015.pdf
This report provides recommendations for scheduling professional development. They suggest scheduling professional development before and after the school year and holding weekend staff retreats at some points during the school year.  The report includes detailed information and schedules from a case study of professional development at Mission Hill School.

Alexandria Rounds Out School Year
Brulliard, Karin.  Washington Post. August 05, 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39834-2004Aug4.html
This Washington Post article discusses Tucker Elementary’s new year round schedule – the first school to implement such a schedule in Alexandria, VA.  The author gives some context regarding year round schedules in the area and across the nation.  She also reports on parental support and some controversy regarding the schedule.

Gustav A. Fritsche Middle School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
http://www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fritsche/block1.html
This school’s website provides detailed information on their use of block scheduling. It lists observed benefits in terms of school climate, classroom issues, and curriculum, and provides a comparison of time on task under the block schedule and under a traditional schedule. The site also includes a detailed profile of the school’s demographics and a four-year timeline that outlines the process of fully implementing block scheduling at the school. Scheduling grids for each grade during the 2004-2005 school year are also available.

Critical Issues: Providing More Time for Professional Development
North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) (2004)
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/profdevl/pd600.htm
The authors discuss different means to create time for professional development ranging from “traditional strategies,” such as banking time or creating an extended day, to embedding it within the school day or taking advantage of online opportunities. They list “action options” for school board members, administrators, and teachers, in addition to profiling several schools that have taken creative approaches to integrating professional development. They also include a chart listing different strategies, their requirements, effects on parents, and costs.

“Finding the Time to Build Professional Development into the Life of Schools” 
Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success. 
NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). (1996).  Washington, DC.
http://www.nfie.org/publications/charge/section2.htm
NFIE gives two primary recommendations for finding time for professional development: flexible scheduling and an extended school year for teachers. Extending teachers’ contracts to include more days without students allows schools to plan major changes and teachers to learn new skills. The authors describe an extended-year program at the Boulder Valley, CO, School District, in which the district provided three schools with salary supplements to allow staff members to work an additional two weeks after the start of summer vacation. 

Finding Time for Collaboration 
Raywid, Mary Anne. (1993). Educational Leadership 51.1
http://www.ascd.org/author/el/93/sept/raywid.html
The author offers 15 sample strategies for creating more time for teacher collaboration within schools.  She focuses on methods  that could be implemented without substantial costs to the school systems.  One strategy is for schools to move to a year-round calendar with three week intersessions, in which teachers could engage in more collaboration and professional development.

Scheduling Alternatives: Options for Student Success
Fager, Jennifer. (1997). Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
http://www.nwrel.org/request/feb97/index.html
This is an online version of a booklet exploring block scheduling, four-day school weeks and year-round school.  For each of the three areas, the authors explain the potential benefits of that system, some concerns, and ideas for successful implementation.  The booklet includes specific examples of schools that have moved to block scheduling, a four year school week, or year round school.  Each example lists contact information, program information, observed outcomes, and keys to success.

Making Time for Teacher Professional Development
Eric Digest. (1996).
http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-2/time.htm
This digest from the Educational Resources Information Center makes recommendations for how districts and schools can find time for professional development.  It includes suggestions such as using teaching assistants to cover class time, lengthening school on four days and giving early release on the fifth, and block scheduling.

Scheduling: Year Round School
Education Commission of the States. (1997).
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/14/29/1429.htm
This brief explains key concepts of year-round schooling such as the single and multi-track designs.  It lists the benefits of year-round schooling, like the potential to reduce overcrowding, opportunities for remedial instruction during intersessions, and less need to review previously taught material, and also discusses potential drawbacks.  The authors do not advocate or oppose year-round schooling, but they recommend that schools dealing with decreasing tax revenues and overcrowding consider the idea.

Time Out: Time is a Resource We Still Haven’t Figured Out How to Use Wisely
Christopher Cross and Milt Goldberg. Edutopia (Sept. 2005)
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1333&issue=sep_05
This article describes the extent to which the clock and traditional schedules control schools. The authors claim that our adherence to such schedules has created five false premises that negatively affect school reform, including the belief that schools can be transformed without giving teachers time to learn more and reorganize their work. Throughout the article, the authors connect time to school reform issues such as the achievement gap. They argue that transforming schools into places where learning takes place in innovative ways will require more time for both teachers and students.

“Finding the Time to Build Professional Development into the Life of Schools” 
Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning: Transforming Professional Development for Student Success. 
NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE). (1996).  Washington, DC.
http://www.nfie.org/publications/charge/section2.htm
NFIE gives two primary recommendations for finding time for professional development: flexible scheduling and an extended school year for teachers. In order to create more team teaching opportunities, shared responsibilities, and fewer, longer periods of instruction, states need to deregulate instructional time mandates.

Learning from Denmark
International Studies Program. (2004).
http://ncforum.org/doclib/publications/collateral/denmark.pdf
This report explains the findings of a study of high schools in Denmark.  Within finding nine, “Teachers are treated as professionals,” the authors address teacher time for preparation, meetings, and collaboration and explain how the workload differs for new teachers.  The report includes tables of annual work loads for Danish high school teachers. Danish teachers can come and go as they please (flex time), have less time with students than American teachers, and new teachers do not have a full teaching load for two years.

Target Time Toward Teachers
Darling-Hammond, Linda. (1999). Journal of Staff Development, 20, (2), p. 31-36.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/darling202.cfm
The article addresses the importance of teacher time for planning and collaboration to quality teaching. It compares teacher time in the United States to teacher time internationally and provides samples for rethinking schedules from International High School and Central Park East Secondary School in New York City. At International High School, teachers meet for a half-day every week while students are in clubs.

Gustav A. Fritsche Middle School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
http://www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fritsche/block1.html
This school’s website provides detailed information on their use of block scheduling. It lists observed benefits in terms of school climate, classroom issues, and curriculum, and provides a comparison of time on task under the block schedule and under a traditional schedule. The site also includes a detailed profile of the school’s demographics and a four-year timeline that outlines the process of fully implementing block scheduling at the school. Scheduling grids for each grade during the 2004-2005 school year are also available.

Scheduling Alternatives: Options for Student Success
Fager, Jennifer. (1997). Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
http://www.nwrel.org/request/feb97/index.html
This is an online version of a booklet exploring block scheduling, four-day school weeks and year-round school.  For each of the three areas, the authors explain the potential benefits of that system, some concerns, and ideas for successful implementation.  The booklet includes specific examples of schools that have moved to block scheduling, a four year school week, or year round school.  Each example lists contact information, program information, observed outcomes, and keys to success.

School Calendar Choices in Tennessee: A Look at Year-Round / Non-traditional Schools
Morgan, John G. (2003). Office of Education Accountability.
http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/orea/reports/yrroundschools.pdf
As of March 2003, 147 schools in Tennessee operate on a non-traditional schedule.  This report provides instructions for how schools convert to a non-traditional calendar in Tennessee, discusses academic benefits, and details the cost differences in this system.  The authors also address how year-round programs work within the community, exploring issues such as childcare availability and extracurricular activities.

Time Out: Time is a Resource We Still Haven’t Figured Out How to Use Wisely
Christopher Cross and Milt Goldberg. Edutopia (Sept. 2005)
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1333&issue=sep_05
This article describes the extent to which the clock and traditional schedules control schools. The authors claim that our adherence to such schedules has created five false premises that negatively affect school reform, including the belief that schools can be transformed without giving teachers time to learn more and reorganize their work. Throughout the article, the authors connect time to school reform issues such as the achievement gap. They argue that transforming schools into places where learning takes place in innovative ways will require more time for both teachers and students.

data analysis | time | leadership | empowerment | prof development | facilities & resource