School Scheduling

Create elementary and secondary schedules that raise achievement, improve equity, and save resources

Our Perspective

School schedules are a powerful lever for raising achievement

Time is a valuable and scarce resource for schools. While school schedules are created with the best intentions, the enormous complexity of scheduling often results in schedules filed with uncomfortable compromises. Too often, administrators, teachers, and staff lament that instructional best practices cannot be implemented because the schedule simply stands in the way.

When districts and/or schools set clear, coherent priorities and pair them with scheduling expertise and technology, many highly-desired goals that previously seemed unattainable can in fact be achieved in virtually every school without increasing costs or lengthening the school day.

Our Approach

Based on our best practice research and years of experience, DMGroup recognizes that scheduling can present different challenges in elementary and secondary schools. So we take a tailored approach to partnering with schools and districts to address common challenges in each scenario and ultimately create powerful master schedules.

For elementary schools we focus on the use of technology to improve the efficiency of the scheduling process and better align schedules to instructional best practices and student needs. We developed a powerful scheduling software, DMSchedules, to help school leaders quickly and easily build elementary schedules for general education and special education. DMSchedules empowers school leaders to embed instructional guidelines, explore multiple scenarios, and easily share schedules among teachers, staff, and administrators.

"DMGroup helped us see schedules in ways we had never considered before. They were instrumental in helping our team analyze our schedules, identify impactful ways to adjust them, and help build buy-in from staff."

Olwen E. Herron, Ed.D. Superintendent
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (VA)

In secondary schools we follow a structured process that involves working with teams to set a clear vision for teaching and learning and align the scheduling processes to the goals and priorities that have been set. From there we analyze the financial, staffing, and course efficiency of current schedules, including a review of the equity of offerings and incorporation of student choice and voice. We provide recommendations for scheduling alternatives and even facilitate a change management process to help build buy-in for recommended changes.

No matter our approach, we aim for better schedules for students and staff that align with your school and district priorities and have the support of your stakeholders.

Key Benefits

Create best practice schedules to support your instructional priorities

  • Align your schedule to instructional best practices and key school and district priorities
  • Unlock opportunities to raise achievement and improve equity across subjects
  • Utilize approaches that maximize core instructional time for students
  • Establish cost-effective and equitable staffing based on course enrollment and class size targets
  • Increase collaboration and buy-in in the schedule-building process

Services

Make the most of every minute of the school day

Technology-Enabled Solution

Elementary Scheduling Software and Services

Learn More SCHEDULE A DEMO

DMSchedules for Elementary Schools is our powerful, proprietary scheduling software built on best practices. It allows you to quickly and easily set and embed instructional guidelines and explore multiple scenarios with a drag-and-drop feature. When you have chosen the best schedule for your school’s needs, DMSchedules allows for easy sharing of schedules among teachers, staff, and administrators.

Define Priorities

Our approach begins with a needs assessment in which we conduct an analysis of your schedules to identify strengths and areas for improvement. After presenting scheduling and instructional best practices, DMGroup works with your leadership team to establish the goals and priorities to be achieved.

Master and Staff Schedules

In partnership with you, we create a master school schedule tailored to your needs from which homeroom teacher schedules, specials rotations, and teacher and staff schedules are then automatically generated. Our software makes it easy to view and share schedules with others, such as principals or central office leaders.

Experiment with Scenarios

Our DMSchedules scheduling software allows central office, schools, and staff to quickly and easily experiment with different scenarios within desired constraints and to make final modifications. And, all this scheduling can be done in up to 80% less time than traditional methods.

Empower your Team

DMGroup provides training for district and building leadership teams regarding best practice schedules and instructional best practice. We also provide ample software training to ensure that staff can work independently to create new schedules, experiment, and respond to changes.

Build Support for Change

Our facilitation and change management process will help you increase collaboration, thereby building buy-in for a new approach that supports your school and district priorities.

Technology-enabled Solution

Special Education Scheduling

Learn more SCHEDULE A DEMO

DMSchedules for Special Education enables your special educators, interventionists, related service providers, and support staff to coordinate the scheduling of student services so that nothing falls through the cracks. With this powerful software, you can ensure that IEPs are met and that best practices are implemented. Scheduling sharing allows for strong coordination and improved services for students.

Professional Development

Secondary Scheduling Institute

Learn More

Come together with other school districts for in-depth training on building strategic secondary schedules. This training program, delivered over multiple months, will help your school or district team build capacity to plan, build, and implement best-in-class schedules for middle and high school. Your team will learn to design a master schedule that is aligned to academic best practices, efficiently leverages staff talents and time, and incorporates student voice. All this can be accomplished without expanding the budget or changing the length of the school day.

Space is limited, reserve your spot today.

Client Result

Bibb County School District (GA) established district-wide instructional guidelines and overhauled master schedules across all 22 elementary schools.

Read the Success Story

I’m excited to see the progress taking shape. I expect our focus on scheduling at the elementary level and on reading support programs to impact our students in a positive way.

Dr. Curtis Jones, Jr., Superintendent Bibb County School District (GA)

The quality of programming and the information presented sets DMCouncil apart from any of the conferences I attend.

Dr. Lawrence Mussoline, Superintendent Haddonfield Public Schools (NJ)