Building an Elementary Schedule - Part 12: A Reflection on the Scheduling Season

This 12-part series on How to Build an Elementary School Schedule offers step-by-step guidance and proven scheduling strategies for creating a better elementary school schedule.

As the new school year gets underway, you should consider how effective your schedule is once you've seen it in action. Keep an eye out for opportunities to continue strengthening your schedule, and make the necessary adjustments.

1. Make last-minute adjustments if necessary

Last-minute changes in enrollment, personnel, or curriculum may require schedule adjustments. These changes may take place up to and beyond the start of the new school year. While change may be difficult, it is better to make small adjustments to improve the schedule than endure a substandard one.

2. Measure success

Think about the goals you had before you started scheduling (e.g. improving student outcomes, reducing referrals, improving workload equity for teachers). Has anything changed that will impact how you will measure your schedule's effectiveness? Over the course of the school year, refine your metrics and use them to measure schedule effectiveness.

3. Collect feedback

To collect feedback from staff on schedules, consider conducting a short survey. Getting real insights may be as simple as asking three questions about scheduling:

• What’s working well?

• What are some of the challenges?

• What would you change?

Simple surveys can provide a wealth of useful information. Depending on the feedback, you may be able to implement improvements immediately, while other feedback may help you set future goals. Feedback can also assist in improving scheduling and communication practices.