Intercom announcements and staff visits, among other things, are constant interruptions of classroom instruction in U.S. public schools. A newly released working paper, "The Big Problem with Little Interruptions to Classroom Learning," written by Associate Professor Matthew Kraft and Manuel Monti-Nussbaum (The Behaviouralist) uses survey data and classroom observations to study the frequency, nature, and duration of external classroom interruptions in classrooms across the Providence Public School District (PPSD). Together they found that "a typical classroom in PPSD is interrupted over 2,000 times per year, and that these interruptions and the disruptions they cause result in the loss of between 10 to 20 days of instructional time." Continue reading here to learn more about their research and proposed suggestions to reduce interruptions, including scheduled intercom use and advisory periods to deliver messages. 

News coverage includes:

What classroom interruptions cost students — and how to avoid them — The Washington Post

Typical Providence classroom interrupted over 2,000 times a year, says Brown researcher — GoLocalProv

Classroom Interruptions and Their Impact on Learning — Future Ed