Without Time to Prepare, a System is Not Organized to Serve All Children
October 1, 2025
In Seaford, Delaware (a district that rose from the bottom of the state in reading to the very top), I visited and spoke with a literacy coach.
When I mentioned that Oakland teachers only have 100 minutes of duty-free prep time, with another 50 for collaboration, she froze. Tears welled in her eyes. The conversation was over. She knew the truth: without time to prepare, a system is not organized to serve all children.
School systems talk endlessly about equity, slogans, or the “right materials.” But without preparation time, those promises collapse into theater. Children don’t need more slogans; they need teachers with the space to plan, collaborate, and respond to their needs. Do your teachers have time to plan for full implementation of the reading program... or is "hope" the strategy?
Justice for kids starts with preparation. Everything else is a distraction.
Kareem Weaver
Executive Director, FULCRUM
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