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Number and percentage distribution of hours spent in a typical week in self-contained classrooms by regular full-time public school teachers of grades 1 through 4, by type of activity: Selected years 1987-88 through 2007-08

Activity 1987-88 1990-91 1993-94 1999-2000 2003-04 2007-08
Average number of hours   Percen-
tage of student school week 		  Average number of hours   Percen-
tage of student school week 		  Average number of hours   Percent-
age of student school week 		  Average number of hours   Percen-
tage of student school week 		  Average number of hours   Percent-
age of student school week 		  Average number of hours   Percent-
age of student school week
Hours spent delivering
  instruction 		 27.9   88.4   —   —   —   —   —   —   29.6   90.6   31.2   94.7
                                               
Core subjects  21.2   67.1   21.0   65.8   22.1   69.2   22.1   68.0   21.8   66.7   21.9   66.8
English, reading, or
  language arts 		 11.0   35.0   10.5   32.9   10.9   34.0   10.9   33.6   11.6   35.5   11.7   35.6
Arithmetic or
  mathematics 		 4.9   15.4   4.9   15.3   5.3   16.4   5.7   17.4   5.4   16.5   5.6   16.9
Social studies or
  history 		 2.8   8.7   2.9   9.1   3.0   9.5   2.9   8.9   2.5   7.6   2.3   7.1
Science  2.6   8.1   2.7   8.4   3.0   9.2   2.6   8.1   2.3   7.1   2.3   7.1
                                               
Other subjects1  6.7   21.2   —   —   —   —   —   —   7.8   24.0   9.2   27.9
                                               
Hours spent on non-
  instructional activities2 		 3.7   11.6   —   —   —   —   —   —   3.1   9.4   1.8   5.3
                                               
Hours available beyond
  core subjects3 		 10.4   32.9   10.9   34.2   9.9   30.8   10.4   32.0   10.9   33.3   11.0   33.2
                                               
Hours in a student
  school week4 		 31.6   100.0   31.9   100.0   32.1   100.0   32.6   100.0   32.6   100.0   33.0   100.0
— Not available; data were not collected.
1 Hours in "other subjects" was calculated by subtracting "core subjects" from "hours spent delivering instruction."
2 "Hours spent on non-instructional activities" was calculated by subtracting "hours spent delivering instruction" from "hours in a student school week."
3 "Hours available beyond core subjects" was calculated by subtracting "core subjects" from "hours in a student school week."
4 "Hours in a student school week" was not collected from teachers, but from schools. Because of school non-response, "hours in a student school week" was based on between 90 and 97 percent of the teachers, depending on the year.
NOTE: Includes teachers who teach students in any of grades 1 through 4, regardless of whether they teach students in additional grades. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School and Public School Teacher Data Files," 1987-88, 1990-91, 1993-94, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08; and "Charter School and Charter School Teacher Data Files" 1999-2000.

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