Maximizing the Use of
Teacher Time
Table of contents
The below steps are based on the cycle of acting and collaborating on SCTWCS data.
Throughout this toolkit, you will see how each page and resource connects to one of these five steps.
Introduction
Working through this toolkit will focus your team’s attention on how practices, policies, and decisions made can contribute to improving the use of teacher time, a working condition highlighted as a key area for improvement in the SCTWCS. It is intended for use by school or district teams to create plans for school or district efforts, rather than plans for individual educators. The focus is on creating conditions that support whole staffs of educators by structuring time for instruction, focus, and leadership—not shifting how those individuals structure the limited discretionary work time they have each day or week.
This section of the toolkit is intended for use by educators in both formal and informal leadership roles, who are responsible for addressing the use of teacher time in alignment with continuous improvement efforts. The first step is to define who is, or should be, part of this work. While administrators may initiate or lead efforts to improve teacher working conditions, you are encouraged to include at least two classroom teachers and one or more educators in other roles within your school who can provide insight into specific structures and schedules.
A note before you begin: If this is your first time working with an SCTWCS toolkit, we strongly recommend starting with the toolkits on analyzing overall district/school data with your team. These toolkits help establish a clearer understanding of incorporating SCTWCS data into your ongoing systems for the most efficient results
1. BUILD
Build a school or district Team
Assemble a team of educators that represent diverse perspectives and areas of expertise to engage in the work of analyzing and addressing the demands on teachers’ time in your district or school. While survey data were gathered only from teachers, many members of a school’s staff—including education support professionals, coaches, and administrators—are likely to have helpful perspectives on opportunities for increasing the efficiency or decreasing the demands on teacher time. Improvement efforts will be stronger for the engagement of professionals in numerous roles. Using Worksheet 1 that follows, you will see recommendations for some perspectives and expertise that ideally would be included on the team.
It is important for each team member to understand that, while they have their individual experiences and expertise, the purpose of the work is to engage in continuous improvement efforts that can positively impact demands on teachers’ time across the school or district, not only situations that impact individuals or small groups.
As you build your team, consider where and how the work of addressing demands on teachers’ time may integrate with other structures within your school or district. Considering these questions will help you undertake this process in a way that itself uses time and expertise well:
- Does a team already exist with the recommended roles and perspectives as part of its composition?
- Is there a team that, with a few adjustments, would have the recommended composition?
- Where in your school/district is work already focused on something related to the demands on teachers’ time?
- Is there a team or meeting time where it makes sense to integrate addressing this issue?
You are encouraged to be strategic about weaving the work of this team into the work structures that already exist in your school or district. In doing so, you will ensure that the efforts addressing the use of teachers’ time are strategically aligned with ongoing initiatives and not an isolated approach.
WORKSHEET 1: TEAM MEMBERS
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