Font ResizeSchool days lasting more than eight hours. No summer vacation. Less play time. It seems President Barack Obama has it in for America's kids.
But the president says he merely wants students to be better prepared to compete for jobs in the global marketplace and help supply the new technologies the world needs. To do that, he proposes that school administrators try different schedules, including longer school days and keeping schools open for more than the usual 180 days.
We think he's on to something. The nine-month school year was adopted many decades ago when kids were needed to work on the farm from May to September. It's a hard habit to break, but it's time we adapted school schedules to meet 21st century needs.
In Utah, year-round 180-day schedules are used primarily to cut costs and eliminate the need for new school buildings in rapidly growing areas. But, just as important, research shows that students retain more of what they've learned when the learning cycle doesn't take a three-month break.
Other states report that more time in class yields better performance. Massachusetts' expanded learning time initiative, in which schools can add hours to each day or more days to the year, has resulted in higher state test scores. And in other countries, students who spend more days of the year in the classroom are outscoring American students, especially in math and science. Universities here are producing fewer science and engineering
The Brookings Institution looked at math scores in countries with extra math instruction time. Scores rose significantly, especially where schools added minutes to the day, rather than more days to the school year.
American classes traditionally are about 45 minutes long, hardly enough time for a calculus teacher to explain a problem, let alone for students to work out solutions. Science lab classes, in particular, would benefit from extended class time, so students can receive instructions and conduct experiments during a single class. Longer or more days would also allow time for English instruction for non-English speakers and remedial help for children who need it.
Disadvantaged children are hurt most by long summer breaks. These are kids whose parents don't have time and means to read with their children, take them on educational outings or pay for tutors or summer camps.
Utah schools should consider non-traditional schedules that have so clearly been shown to boost learning.
