Extended learning time, extensive benefits

A new report from ReadyNation is critical of our 19th-century school schedule, designed when students went home to milk cows, air-conditioning didn't exist, and mothers worked in the home. This outdated calendar is especially harmful over the summer, when children forget knowledge and lose skills. Among disadvantaged students alone, learning loss wastes $21 billion of taxpayer dollars nationwide. Several cities are addressing this challenge. Rochester, New York has expanded the school day with the help of community partners, changing how students are taught; many New York City schools are slated to follow suit. Charters in New York City and Boston that have adopted more learning time enjoy outstanding results, as do regular public schools in Massachusetts and Texas. The U.S. Department of Education found that schools with expanded time allocate more of the day to math, science, social studies, PE, and music than those with a traditional schedule. They also use time better: Data informs teaching, students receive individualized support, and enrichment is a staple. These schools closely track student progress, create expectations for students to succeed and avoid misbehavior, and hold teachers and administrators accountable. For more productive employees now, and more productive youth in the future, policymakers must invest in greater and better learning time and bring our school schedules into the 21st century. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

Published by LEAP

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.