Here’s another story that suggests that students need to spend more time at school.
The average U.S. student clocks 6.5 hours a day 180 days a year — less time than students in almost every other industrialized country, according to a recent report by Washington-based think tank Education Sector.
Extending the school day is part of the formula of nearly every high-performing charter school I’ve ever visited, including YES and KIPP. Many of these schools also ask kids to attend class on Saturdays and during the summer.
With so many kids these days spend their late afternoons at daycares or, worse, home alone, I’ve long wondered why more districts don’t extend the academic day. If nothing else, they could use the time to add back art classes, music programs and other electives that they complain are squeezed from the schedule in this era of standardized testing. Is it just a matter of money? Are teachers unwilling to stay at school longer? Or are kids overworked as it is? Don’t you think extending the school day could be part of the solution?