As a teacher, I am always running out of time to finish a lesson with my students. I often have to cut a lesson short or finish it the next day. This makes me think, “If I only had a little more time in the day…” Although I am thankful a day is over when it is many times, I did begin to wonder about the issue of an extended school day. Do extended school days really help students achieve higher standards of learning?
I recently read this article by the Washington Post about the latest research on the affects of an extended day on student learning. The article criticized the extended day model that is currently being pushed by the United Stated Department of Education. The article referenced two different studies that both showed that an extended day had little effect on student learning. However, the article did say that many of the school systems in the studies quickly put an extended day in place without thinking through the true needs of students and what would be done with the extra time. So I continued to do further research.
I found another article, that was posted by a user on the Washington Post, that actually referenced the correct way for an extended school day to happen. This gave me hope in the model. When done right, an extended day can really help students do a better job in school, especially students from high need areas such as Baltimore City
1 comment:
I think the idea of extended day is extremely interesting and I think it in some cases can work and be very effective. But, I think it should cautiously used by low-performing schools. The Washington Post Article said SIG schools would not be able to keep paying for extended day after their grants run out. I think schools shouldn't just take money into account, but whether their school has the man power and logistics to organize an extended day. Some low-performing schools struggle to staff and organize a normal school day, none the less an extended day. So, I think this decision to make extended day should be well thought out and planned and not just seen by schools as a possible immediate fix to low test scores and low performance.
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