Five States to Add 300 Hours to School Calendar Next Year
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John Coletti/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Five states are slated to announce on Monday that they will add at least 300 hours of classroom time to the school calendar next year in an effort to boost student achievement.
Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee have agreed to take part in the initiative, which will be implemented in 40 schools. Each school will have the option to either extend the school day or add days to the school year.
Jennifer Davis of the National Center on Time and Learning, one of the nonprofits funding the program, says “This is a very important step forward in education reform across America.”
“A variety of research is showing that schools that implement more time will show significant gains with students across the board,” she says.
Davis says the added time will allow students to “get more time with teachers to help them with whatever challenges they may face,” and will open the door to “broader opportunities in the arts and music and a variety of other enrichment programs.”
She expects other states and districts will follow suit over time.
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