Columbia University Center Offers New Guide to Master Scheduling, As School Leaders Grapple with Troubling Equity Gaps in the Wake of Covid-19

NEW YORK, May 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University has released a new report -- About Time: Master Scheduling and Equity -- with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that illuminates how traditional approaches to class scheduling often perpetuate equity gaps for students from marginalized groups, including access to critical courses and experienced teachers. Drawing on a review of school scheduling practices from across the country, CPRL developed a scheduling framework and implementation guide to help school leaders design equity-first class schedules.

The report reveals that traditional scheduling practices too often limit marginalized students' access to learning and opportunity. For example, Black and Latino students are more likely to be assigned a teacher with fewer years of experience -- and are more likely to be excluded from advanced coursework, like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes. 

Millions of students have experienced lost instructional time in the midst of the pandemic, presenting a huge challenge for school leaders as many return to school in Fall 2021. The master schedule can be a powerful tool for addressing students' academic and socio-emotional needs -- while also taking advantage of a moment to think about school differently and design around equity.

"We have created a framework and implementation guide that can help schools and systems move from a technical scheduling mindset to a strategic mindset," stated Dr. Elizabeth Chu, Executive Director at CPRL. "It is more critical than ever that we use this opportunity to break the inequities that exist nationwide and increase access and opportunity for marginalized students."

The report is informed by interviews with 36 district and charter school leaders, staff, educators and researchers across 9 states. Decisions about how to allocate a fundamental resource -- time -- are largely controlled at the school and district levels, providing a huge opportunity to interrupt systemic injustices. The report's primary recommendations include: 

1)    Arrange time, resources, and people to maximize student learning and experience;
2)    Provide teachers adequate time to collaborate and refine their practice;
3)    Provide more equitable access to rigorous and rich coursework;
4)    Pair students with the best-fit educator; and
5)    Improve attendance, learning, and graduation rates

"There are so many opportunities within a master schedule that can structurally and systematically create options for kids," said Jason Babineau, Principal, Herbert Hoover High School, San Diego Unified School District. "And, can put them in positions where they may never have had opportunities prior to their experiences at a school or within the school system. That's something that as adults and educators we can control."

Beginning with a self-assessment for school leaders, the new Master Scheduling Equity Framework provides a reimagined approach to scheduling in schools that is driven by data, innovative technology, and a commitment to equity. The report offers leaders practical steps they can take across four domains -- project management, stakeholder engagement, improvement and design -- to ensure their schedule process is oriented around equity. 

This report and the resources included in it were created by the Center for Public Research and Leadership are available for free for school leaders at this page.

About CPRL
The Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) at Columbia University is a partnership of university-based professional schools that works to revitalize public education while reinventing professional education. CPRL conducts high-impact research and consulting projects for clients in the education sector and provides rigorous coursework, skills training, and real-world experiential learning to graduate students who attend programs at Columbia University and across the country. Since its founding in 2011, CPRL has prepared more than 500 future leaders and completed 150-plus research and consulting projects with state agencies, school districts, charter school organizations, foundations, and advocacy groups, among others.

SOURCE Center for Public Research and Leadership