The Copernican Plan: Scheduling of Classes

These days public school districts seem to be under attack for their quantity not quality education standards. These school districts face big problems in attempting to deliver quality education to their customers, the students. How can a school district enhance the quality of time that students spend in the classroom, provide more time for collaboration and coordination among it's professional staff members, promote continuous professional development, and do so with as few dollars as possible? A current solution is The Copernican Plan devised by Joseph M. Carroll. This is a unique scheduling plan that reduces the number of classes that a student takes at any one time. There are many variations of the Copernican Plan. In one variation the student takes 2 macro-classes in the morning. Each class is approximately 100 minutes long and is taken for only one 60-day trimester. During the afternoon the student would take 2 exploratory classes. Schools using the Copernican Plan have routinely increased standardized scores, attendance, and teacher collaboration time. According to current research, the Copernican Plan can help almost every U.S. high school decrease its average class size, increase its course offerings, substantially reduce teaching load, provide students with regularly scheduled seminars, establish a productive learning environment, and substantially increase learning mastery within present funding levels. Overall, the Copernican Plan changes school scheduling by lengthening instructional periods for fewer and smaller classes. The system should improve teacher-student relationships, lighten workloads, and introduce innovative evaluation and learning systems. As a future teacher, I might favor using the Copernican Plan to create an adequate learning environment for my students. Along with using this program, I would have the opportunity to collaborate with my teacher peers. Working together brainstorming and providing feedback for others will enhance the learning environment we provide for our students.