<p>The Boston Globe reported today that six Boston schools are trying out a longer school day. The day has been extended by two hours. Test scores are rising and I’m really excited about it. The traditional school day and calendar year are out dated! I don’t know how to post the link, sorry. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>I’m okay with a longer day as long as recess is protected (at the elementary level) and the time is actually doing good. Physically active recess helps give kids exercise and also a break to help with focus. As a senior in high school though, if I had 2 more hours of class and the same amount of homework, I’d be looking at 16 hour days, roughly. Please do not lengthen the high school day. In elementary and middle school, even in very accelerated programs, I would come home at 2:30 or 3 and then do an hour of homework and then have 6 hours of nothing. For kids who don’t have homework, that’s 7 hours, and the TV and video games look awfully appealing. Filling that dead time AT SCHOOL with more PE and more instruction is exactly what needs to happen. Do teachers get a 25% boost in pay because they are working ~25% more hours? </p>
<p>[Longer</a> school day appears to boost MCAS scores - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/30/longer_school_day_appears_to_boost_mcas_scores/?page=1]Longer”>http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/30/longer_school_day_appears_to_boost_mcas_scores/?page=1)</p>
<p>What’s the catch?</p>
<p>From what I can tell, the teachers would get a pay raise. Students would have time to do homework in school, and would have teachers available to help answer questions.</p>
<p>I’m OK with it as long as some of the time is put aside to do homework. Otherwise, all it does is take time away from the important stuff- reading, practice, studying, writing… homework… which is done in the evenings or after school, at home. </p>
<p>I look at it through the eyes of a piano teacher- I’ve had parents of some students ask me for longer or additional lessons. Typically, all it turns into is a “guided practice” session, which is good, but probably not worth the money they are paying me, when the student is perfectly capable of practicing the same way on his own time.</p>
<p>I used to wish my elementary school kids had more time at home, away from school. It seemed like there was never enough time for them to get their homework done and still have time for pleasure reading.</p>
<p>If one looks at the schools that have signed on for the longer hours, they tend to have a high population of limited English speaking students and parents who are thus not able to help their children with homework. I believe the extra time in school actually allows the students to do more of the homework in school with teachers available to help them as needed.</p>