A longer school day is most often justified as a way for students to spend more time with teachers, work on core subjects, or engage in extracurricular activities.

But another good reason for extra time is to give teachers more time to collaborate.

In fact, some educators argue that teacher meeting time is the glue that holds schools together.

Regular Wednesday afternoon meetings are “what allow us to take apart the school every week and put it back together,” said principal Chris Lehmann of Science Leadership Academy. “This is where we evaluate what we do, what we believe, and how we make these things work.”

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