The Link Between Time In School and Achievement

Washington Post

August 18, 2011

The Washington Post published a joint response written by Jennifer Davis, co-founder and president of the National Center on Time & Learning, and Emily McCann, president of Citizen Schools in response to a previous post claiming that there is no compelling evidence that a longer school year improves student learning. In their response, Davis and McCann note that the key focus should be on a reconfiguring of the education system "around the objective of achieving proficiency, rather than meeting arbitrary time requirements." They go on to cite numerous studies that show a "definitive link between quantity of time and level of proficiency."

In their piece, Davis and McCann highlight the connection between expanded- time schools and the results they are achieving. "At expanded learning time schools that partner with Citizen Schools, students spend approximately 1,600 hours in school annually and student achievement scores are on the rise." Click here to read their full response.