A Report on Expanded Time Schools in America

Posted by on December 14, 2009

Extended learning time, higher student performance?

As more and more schools experiment with an extended learning day, it’s become important to build a base of knowledge about how schools are using extra time and what outcomes they’re seeing. The National Center on Time & Learning has compiled a nationwide database of schools that have added learning time to their schedules, and its accompanying analysis suggests that extra time might play a role in boosting middle and high school achievement, reports Education Week. The center found a “moderate association” between increased time and how well students did on their states’ standardized English and mathematics tests compared with their peers in nearby schools on regular schedules. Another analysis in the study found that schools that added the most time had better student performance in grades 7 and 10 than those that added less time. No similar pattern was found at other grade levels. The authors of the study emphasize that the data are not complete or representative enough to support a definite conclusion, but hope the results will prompt further research about practices and outcomes of extended-time schools. An-Me Chung of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which has supported and studied after-school programs and extended learning time in schools, welcomes the study but said the focus was too narrow. “What is it that is happening during that time that’s different? I would like to have seen more about that,” Ms. Chung said. “Learning needs to be the focus here, not just time.”

See the report: http://www.timeandlearning.org/databasefullreport2009.html

See the database: http://www.timeandlearning.org/eltschools_db/search.html