By addressing class size, scheduling, student grouping, teacher-to-student ratios, and overall staffing levels, these strategies help districts create conditions in which teachers have more time to collaborate and focus instruction and attention on the needs of each student.

• Class Size and Planning Time — Class size can be a powerful lever in supporting achievement. Although costly, significant class size reductions in the early grades and around literacy and math can make a lasting difference in student performance. Conversely, increasing class size during non-core academic instruction can yield savings to fund other district improvement strategies.
  
  High performing districts also incorporate Common Planning Time for teachers into the everyday life of their schools. Research demonstrates that teachers should dedicate at least one ninety-minute planning session each week to productive team planning that addresses student learning goals, curriculum, and assessment.
  
  
• Small Group Support — Research indicates that regularly dividing students into teacher-supported small groups, especially in literacy and math, allows more personalized and effective instruction. High performing schools allocate staff flexibly, providing scheduled, skilled-based support from resource teachers and staff at critical times throughout the day. Small Group Support can be a cost effective way of individualizing attention without reducing class sizes across the school or district.
  
  
• Individual Tutoring — Providing scheduled support to individual students helps improve performance by meeting student learning needs that can be difficult to address through whole-class instruction. This is particularly true when the support is aimed at strengthening student skills, especially in literacy and math. The Individual Tutoring page allows you to explore individual tutoring options, including designating the frequency and extent of tutoring for students in your district.
  
  
• Staffing Strategies — High performing schools explicitly shape the work of all staff positions so that every staff member supports the school's instructional design goals. These schools minimize the number of non-instructional staff and synchronize the work of their non-classroom instructional staff with the work of their classroom teachers. The Staffing Strategies page allows you to make changes to Administrative, Instructional Support, and Student Services staff positions and compensation.