Your school’s daily schedule is an incredibly important aspect of how you deliver your mission to students. It defines how long students spend on each subject, with each teacher, and in each classroom. It can enhance academic performance or become a source of stress for students and faculty.
That’s why it’s important to hold an annual strategic scheduling meeting to assess what’s working and what isn’t within your school schedule. This meeting should be held every year in October and include schedulers and the Division Head for each division involved. Department or grade-level chairs, counselors, and other relevant individuals may also be included, but be sure to keep the group lean to avoid overwhelming the participants with excess opinions and directions.
Use this meeting to review data from the first months of the current school year. Consider the following.
- How many students requested schedule changes?
- When all was said and done, did any classes run with fewer than 10 students?
- Are there any spaces not used to their full potential?
- Did the schedule balance out the way you had intended?
- Did compromises fall in line with priorities?
- Does the current schedule continue to align with the school’s mission and philosophy?
This is also the time to address challenges the school is facing today as well as ones you anticipate for next year. These could be due to space, time, upcoming strategic planning items, or goals the school hopes to achieve.
A well-developed schedule puts students in the best position to learn and flourish. An annual strategic scheduling meeting helps everyone air concerns, consider new strategies, and get on the same page. It also helps you thoroughly evaluate your current schedule and make necessary adjustments.
Additional ISM Resources:
The Source for Academic Leadership Vol. 14 No. 5 How Do You Know If Your Schedule Is Toxic?
Additional ISM resources for Gold members:
I&P Vol. 38 No. 14 The Benefits of Schedule Design Change
I&P Vol. 38 No. 15 Match Points Ease Scheduling Challenges
