MoCo Elementary School Teachers Lead Nation in Planning Time: Report

BETHESDA, MD — In a study released Tuesday, a nonprofit education group says that elementary school teachers in Montgomery County lead the nation in the amount of time they receive to plan their lessons, according to a media report.

Planning the content of lessons for an upcoming school day is "a critical aspect of teaching," the Washington Post reported, and teachers in Montgomery County elementary schools receive seven hours a week, an average of 84 minutes a day, the study found. It was compiled by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), which researches teacher evaluation and workforce policies.

Drawing from its national database of teacher contracts, the NCTQ compared the amount of planning time granted to teachers in the 147 large U.S. school districts, the Post reported. The group also weighed the length of teacher workdays in school districts across the country.

But the head of the union that represents county teachers criticized the study, telling the Post that elementary school teachers get only three hours and 45 minutes a week, or 45 minutes a day, for planning lessons for their own pupils. The seven-hour weekly figure cited by the NCTQ includes mandatory meetings and training sessions, he said.