You get the reminders and notifications about early release day for schools in the Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD), but what’s the reason behind it? How are these days helping students, teachers and staff?
Early release days are carefully planned opportunities for students and teachers to make the most of their school week.
For teachers, early release days provide time dedicated to professional development and planning. QCUSD teachers attend workshops, collaborate with their colleagues and refine their teaching methods. Ultimately, the extra training for teachers is beneficial for students’ educational experiences, and the planning time allows teachers to better prepare their lessons for their students.
“Early release days are a time for teachers to come together,” said Eastmark teacher Liz Murray-Davis. “We do professional development on various things like AVID and data analysis so that we can help our kids be successful.”
Students, as well as teachers, benefit from having a midweek break. It allows students to recharge and reduce burnout, in addition to having more time to finish at-home projects or assignments. Having this downtime leads to increased overall productivity and well being. Students also benefit from the results of their teachers’ development.
“Students reap these benefits when we are in the classroom because teachers and staff have come together for these workshops and development time and to do better for them,” said Murray-Davis.
Parents benefit from early release days, too. With a consistent midweek window for communication, parents find it easier to schedule meetings with teachers, discuss their child’s progress and actively participate in their education.
Early release days also allow flexibility to allow more diverse scheduling options, accommodating extracurricular activities, tutoring and appointments.
As education continues to evolve, innovative approaches like early release days provide creative solutions to enhance the educational journey.
