Research also shows that a great deal of potential learning time is lost in schools and classrooms.
Excessive absences and tardies, assemblies and programs which are too lengthy or held too frequently, and prolonged recess and break periods account for some of this loss. Specifically, they note that teachers' planning, classroom management, grouping strategies, instructional pacing, student monitoring, activity transitions, seatwork assignments, and disciplinary functions are carried out in such a way as to maximize the amount and quality of instructional time. Virtually all of these are in operation at J. S. Chick Traditional School in Kansas City, Missouri. The student population is approximately 97 percent AfricanAmerican, and the teaching staff is evenly divided between African-American and white personnel. In 1985 Chick was one of the six poorest-performing schools in the district in terms of student academic achievement.