Dive Brief:
- Boston-area charter schools have returned for the 2016-17 school year weeks ahead of their neighbors, starting a 192-day schedule in hopes of better preparing students.
- WWLP reports Edward Brooke Charter Schools students will have 60 additional days’ worth of class time thanks to the longer year and longer individual school days, and expectations are that they will score higher on state and national tests and be better prepared for life in general.
- Other schools in the Boston area, including Holyoke Community Charter School and the Holyoke Public School System have a normal academic year but longer school days in hopes of seeing similar improvement, and principals say there will be active lessons to keep them engaged.
Dive Insight:
The research is mixed when it comes to the value of longer school days for students. In general, the consensus is that what matters most is how those extra minutes are spent. The National Center on Time and Learning counted more than 2,000 schools during the 2013-14 academic year as having at least seven-hour days, or at least 70 more hours per year than a similar comparison school. The benefits of extended school days or years include more time for traditional academic content, enrichment activities and teacher collaboration. Yet some schools that have extended their days have seen limited improvement. Time Well Spent, a 2011 report from the NCTL, examines best practices at 30 schools with high-poverty student populations and impressive results when it comes to achievement.