By Harriet Sanford
President & CEO
The NEA Foundation
“We all know that the time educators spend in the classroom is just the tip of the iceberg. Grading papers, working with students before and after the bell rings, staff meetings and parent conferences — these all add to the school day in ways that are rarely tallied. But when they are, the results are eye-opening: In Springfield, Mass., teachers surveyed spend three hours and 28 minutes a day on activities other than teaching. Vital tasks including behavior management, working with students on non-academic issues, and communicating with parents topped the list.
Now, as schools across the country are in the midst of implementing sweeping new changes, including challenging new standards such as the Common Core, new assessments and new evaluation programs, time and how it is used, has become even more of a premium.”
