Kennedy Pushes for Longer School Days
Senator hopes to expand MA measure nationwide to help kids achieve under NCLB
By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 2/1/2007
Longer school days for kids? That’s what Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) is proposing in a new bill—and if it passes, it’ll definitely mean more time spent in school libraries.
Don’t think Kennedy’s bill is just a pipe dream. The Senator’s home state of Massachusetts already has the measure in place and is the first in the nation to extend the standard six-hour school day by 30 percent. Kennedy, along with other advocates of the plan, hope to use it as a model for the nation.
As part of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act this year, Kennedy has introduced the Teaching Fellows for Expanded Learning and After-School Act, which would establish a highly trained national service corps of 20,000 aspiring educators to coordinate extended-day programs for students and assist teachers during the longer school day. The goal is to help close the achievement gap by lengthening student learning time.
“American students spend 80 percent of their waking hours outside of school but must still compete with those across the world spending an average of 30 percent more time learning and mastering subjects in school,” Kennedy recently told a group at the Washington, DC-based Center for American Progress (CAP), which released a study outlining Massachusetts’ extended school-day initiative. “Expanding and adjusting learning time in school is not merely sound policy—it’s a necessary imperative to maintain our competitive edge.”
Massachusetts decided that in order for its schools to meet the stringent demands of NCLB, teachers had to devote more time to student learning. With the help of Massachusetts 2020, an education nonprofit group, and the Massachusetts Department of Education, the state legislature last year earmarked $6.5 million to fund a pilot initiative to extend the school day in 10 elementary and middle schools starting last fall.
The schools, mostly in poor urban areas, redesigned their curriculums by adding more time spent in core classes such as English, math, science, and social studies, and allowing for one-on-one tutoring. The schools also devote more time to the arts, physical education, and cultural programs. About 4,700 Massachusetts public school students in Boston, Cambridge, Fall River, Malden, and Worcester now spend an average of two more hours in school each day.
While Kennedy’s bill doesn’t mention school libraries, the new focus on literacy will ultimately mean more time spent in media centers. The school day at the K–6 Jacob Hiatt School in Worcester, for example, now runs from 7:50 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., and includes 10 hours of literacy instruction each week. “Libraries in all schools play an important part in literacy,” says Principal Patricia Gaudette.
CAP’s study provides state and federal policymakers with information about expanded school hours and highlights the curriculums and schedules developed by the 10 Massachusetts public schools on how to best utilize additional time for learning.
“When I go into these schools now, I don’t see more 'drill and kill’ or stretched out lectures,” says Chris Gabrieli, cofounder of Massachusetts 2020. “Teachers are engaging students in projects that allow them to learn new lessons and use their newly acquired knowledge in real-life applications.” For a copy of the full report, visit www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/01/massachusetts.html.
