Leverage the master schedule to improve equity and access for students

Also Known As: iterative placement, scheduling, student scheduling, equity

Every year, school leaders spend many hours building out the master schedule for students and teachers for the upcoming school year.  But it might be these very scheduling practices that are advantaging certain sub-groups of students over others. Master scheduling is not often considered a lever for improving equity and access to advanced coursework, but the schedule is in fact a blueprint for uncovering the student and teacher experience at your school. The first step involves auditing your scheduling data and processes to understand how students and teachers are being served by the current master schedule, identifying which courses are being accessed by which student sub-groups and why. Define what an equitable schedule would look like in your community to align on a desired state. Consider students that are farthest from opportunity , and begin to identify the scheduling obstacles they might face. Start building your schedule by strategically placing core and elective courses throughout the day to optimize possibilities for access, then optimize course placements for specific student sub-groups so they get classes they need and want to ensure a meaningful graduation.