The Core Knowledge Blog

Is lengthening the school day the key to student achievement? Or is it just an extra helping of the thing that’s not working in the first place?

In today’s Washington Post, Maria Glod looks at the extended-school push, which counts among its proponents Bill Gate and Eli Broad. Adding hours to the school day—and Saturdays and extended summer sessions—is intended to ensure students get the reading and math lessons they need without sacrificing music, art or even recess. “But experts say there is not yet enough research to prove that stretching out the school day is worthwhile,” Glod notes. “It’s an expensive proposition that can cause conflicts with teachers unions and cut into time traditionally spent on sports and other after-school activities. Most schools with longer days and higher test scores have also made other changes, often to the curriculum or teacher training” making it hard to determine if more equals better or there are other factors at work.

The most insightful quote comes from Elena Silva, a senior policy analyst at Education Sector. “We really don’t know if we need more time,” she tells the Post. “Could we design schools differently? If more time is spent on engaged learning and less on classroom management and other things, then you don’t really need to extend time.” As nearly any teacher in a struggling school can attest, time on-task lost to disruption is a serious impediment to student achievement, especially when it forces teachers to plan lessons around classroom management.