Distance learning instructional minutes under COVID-19

EAB researchers searched publicly available studies and articles on best practices for allocating age-appropriate distance learning instructional minutes and report an absence of robust research literature on this topic. While we did find related studies that discuss optimal video length in distance learning—such as in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study How Video Production Affects Student Engagement—we did not find studies that discuss how to differentiate overall instructional time among grade levels in distance learning. To that end, our research shifted to investigate how educational institutions—including multiple school districts—have adjusted their instructional minute allocations as they shift to distance learning.

District examples

In this article, Costanza: Online Education is Difficult for the Littlest Learners. Here’s Some Help for School Leaders, Teachers, and Families, chief academic officer at Teaching Strategies Victor Costanza emphasizes the challenge of translating pre-K education to distance learning. Effective early childhood education relies on “positive face-to-face interactions between adults and children to meet developmental milestones.” To that end, as administrators design distance learning schedules for pre-K and kindergarten students, administrators should limit the amount of screen time and provide suggestions for enrichment opportunities between students and their parents.

Alternative district approaches to instructional time during distance learning

Charter school examples

In the article Success Academy Goes Virtual: New York City’s Largest Charter Network Shares How It’s Restructuring to Provide Online Learning, the 74 Million profiles how Success Academy decreased instructional time for elementary, middle, and high school students as they transition to distance learning.

District administrators can review the Success Academy daily schedule—which breaks down instructional time per course—in the Appendix of this resource.

International, independent school examples

For pre-K students, administrators at profiled international, independent schools allocate one total hour of instructional time each day, with less than 30 minutes of time per subject area. Similar to at Northshore School District and Palo Alto Unified School District, administrators at the American School in Japan and Shanghai American School supplement the hour of instructional time with enrichment activities that students may complete with their parents.

For K-5 students, district administrators may consider allocating between 20 and 35 minutes for each subject area each day. Administrators generally increase total daily instructional time for older students. For example, administrators at the American School in Japan recommend a daily instructional time of at least 80 minutes for students in grades 1 and 2 and at least 100 minutes for students in grades 3-5.