More School (Science, Research, and All That…)
I have been very sick, and strangely grateful that if I just had to be that sick, at least it was over my school system’s Spring Break for the most part. I seem to be on my way to a healthy recovery…
A thought occurred to me this past week regarding longer school days and longer school years. We tend to talk about such things with one of two points of reference. Either more school makes sense because, well, China and Japan have more school than us, or more school makes sense because there’s just so much to get into the school day and we don’t have enough time.
Simple question: Does more school make sense because there’s research that says more school makes sense?
I think the answer to that is clearly yes when you talk about longer school years and/or year round schooling. I don’t have citations. Maybe I’ll look for some. But the concept of extended school year services for special education is based on that idea. And we all whine about how much regression takes place over the summer break.
Is a longer school day supported by research? I’d have to see research targeted at grade levels. My guess is that research might eventually show that a longer school day for high school or middle school kids could increase educational outcomes. Intermediate grades? I’m not so sure. Primary grades? I’m even more skeptical…
My question is basic though. And as long as we’re talking about China and Japan, the issue is political, not educational. When someone starts ranting about more school because they think the research says we should have more school, and they put the research up front in the discussion – at that point the argument will seem more credible for me. Until then, it seems like political grandstanding.
