Study Eyes Effect of Extra Learning Time on Scores

Study Finds Possible Link to Increased Achievement

The first national database of schools that have added learning time to their schedules, which was released this week, suggests that the extra time might play a role in boosting middle and high school achievement.

The National Center on Time & Learning , which assembled and analyzed the database, found a moderate association between increased time and how well students did on their states’ standardized English and mathematics tests compared with their peers in nearby schools on regular schedules.

Jennifer Davis, the president of the center, said that even though more than a quarter-century has passed since the influential report A Nation at Risk called for more time on task in America’s classrooms, she believes the country is now reaching a “tipping point” because many more schools are actually trying it. As that happens, she said, it becomes more important to build a base of knowledge about how schools are using the extra time and what outcomes they’re seeing “to ensure that the added time is having the educational...