My students are performing better than they ever have before on standardized tests, in class assessments, etc. with much less seat time than they have had previously. Why? Because the focus has been on teaching essential outcomes and simplifying the pedagogy. It has paid dividends because class time is used much more efficiently, students are engaged for longer, and I'm not seeing the typical burnout that I usually do. I also have time now to actually teach and prepare for teaching the way it should be done (with an extra hour each day to actually break down data, make adjustments, and plan for instruction that doesn't require staying after contract time.) Normally I get ~30-45 minutes per day after school which encompasses grading, data analysis, lesson planning, adjusting curriculum, developing assessment, working with students after school. If we want to improve education in this country teachers need more time to do the background work of teaching so that they can do it the right way and actually improve their pedagogy instead of float day by day.