Time for teacher learning, planning critical for school reform

Teachers are dedicated, wise, and thoughtful change agents who need more time to identify problems they see in their schools or classrooms and work individually and collectively on solutions. They need both more time for individual planning and time to collaborate with colleagues who teach the same grades or the same subjects. A productive day of teaching requires substantial planning time to choose effective strategies, design lessons, prepare materials and collaborate with others. Any good teacher will tell you this, and they do, whenever they are asked. Some possible ways to provide more time for planning without breaking the school budget are by shortening the school day for students, embedding more teacher work days into the school calendar, or creatively increasing staff.