Education Law

Resources, tasks key to extended learning success

More school, less summer. That’s what the Obama Administration is advocating as a way to help students in the U.S. catch up academically with their counterparts in other countries who attend school as much as 30 percent longer, according to this Associated Press article.

In an interview with the AP, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he wants “to level the playing field” through extending the school year.

BoardBuzz thinks it’s a great idea to to lengthen the school year/day.  NSBA encourages school districts to partner with other educational entities and community organizations in developing extended learning opportunities, including summer programs, to improve students’ academic achievement.  However, school districts and schools cannot do this without adequate resources. As the AP article points out, extra learning time is not cheap.  Massaschusetts’ extended learning initiative, which adds 300 hours to the calendar in select public schools, cost an additional $1,300 per student.  Unfortunately, the increased cost of fuel last year and the economic downturn have prompted some school districts to adopt a 4-day school week, meaning longer but fewer days in class.

Besides, more school alone will not necessarily help improve academic achievement.  Research shows that the additional time must focus on instruction and learning or “time on task” in order to be effective.  Read NSBA’s Beliefs and Policies on extended learning opportunities here.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on September 29, 2009 (boomark / email).