A federally funded research project investigated the relationship between academic learning time (ALT) and achievement of 43 educable mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and learning-disabled students, aged 7-13, in grades 1-5. The project's final report, titled "An Analysis of the Impact of Instructional Time within Different Service Delivery Systems on the Academic Achievement of Mildly Handicapped Children," is briefly summarized in this one-page abstract. The relationship of ALT to student achievement in reading and mathematics was examined; specific strategies were suggested to increase the students' ALT; and teachers' subsequent use of the strategies was evaluated in terms of success in increasing ALT and academic achievement. Results showed, among other findings, that when direct instruction is provided, students are much more likely to be exhibiting on-task behaviors, and that direct instruction appeared to occur with the greatest frequency in resource room settings. A teacher's manual developed by the project suggests specific strategies to increase ALT and student achievement, such as increasing student attention to academic tasks, and providing more academic activities in which students experience high task success. Policy implications include options such as reallocating the time for various classroom activities and lengthening the school day or year. (JDD)