This brief examines the research on community schools, with two primary emphases. First, it explores whether the 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) opens the possibility of investing in well-designed community schools to meet the educational needs of low-achieving students in high-poverty schools. And second, it provides support to…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) You Take the High Road and I'll Take the Low Road: As Appropriations Process Begins, Different Spending Approaches Likely to…

With the number of students who are English language learners (ELLs) likely to double in coming years, it is more important than ever for schools across the U.S. to design and implement educational practices and strategies that best meet ELLs' learning needs, says the report, "Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to…

The expansion of Pre-K in early childhood programs, both in the community and in schools, has the potential to build significant new alignment between the traditional K-12 education system and the preschool year. Most communities, however, have only scratched the surface of collaboration between public schools and community programs as…

The Study of School Turnaround examines the improvement process in a purposive sample of 35 case study schools receiving federal funds through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program over a three-year period (2010-11 to 2012-13 school years). This evaluation brief focuses on 11 of these SIG schools with high proportions of English Language…

Even though many European and Japanese students spend as many as 8 hours daily and 220 days yearly in the classroom, 661 American superintendents believe the present U.S. average--6 hours and 180 days--to be adequate, raising questions about their potential support in changing the system. (KS)

The paper describes the PROVE School, an alternative high school providing behavioral and academic programming using an extended school day concept for profoundly behavior disordered students in Proviso township, Maywood, Illinois. The extended day concept of crisis intervention (in which students are allowed to leave school for the day only when…

A preliminary analysis of the impact of the seven-period school day found that a seven-period schedule allows small high schools in Montgomery County, Maryland to offer almost as many courses as larger six-period schools and allows their students to enroll in more courses, particularly in academic areas. It further concluded that students took…

This report examines both the educational and political dimensions of time reform. It presents the findings of a wide range of research on time reform, discusses the impact of various time reforms on the life of schools and beyond, and makes recommendations for policymakers about how to best leverage time in and out of school to improve student…

Using data from a nationwide random sample for the 1976-1977 school year, this article studies effects of increasing the amount of math and reading instruction offered to third through sixth graders. All racial groups studied experienced diminishing returns at the observed amounts of instruction during the extended school day. Included are 3…

Although policymakers have recently tended to call for longer school days or years, such reforms might be ineffective or counterproductive if they fail to take into account the interactions between time and other determinants of learning, including the role of the student in allocating time. Research has shown that the amount of learning is a…

The Ukiah (California) school board offers extended day care in six elementary schools. The program meets the needs of employed parents and has helped maintain enrollment levels in the schools. Highlights from a parent handbook are listed along with ordering directions. (MLF)

The four-day week is a popular way to improve the quality of education and save energy costs in rural districts. The four-day week is structured as a lengthened day or school year. Thirteen states have districts operating on four-day calendars. State laws and education agency regulations require districts to evaluate the effect of four-day…

A review of research on time on task and length of school day or year reveals that time is not the only variable significantly related to student achievement. Research indicates that increasing time in school will not automatically increase student achievement or raise standardized test scores. Other variables such as corrective and immediate…

After-school care for children of working parents is a natural extension of the services schools provide. Setting up a school-based child care program requires making the commitment and establishing a task force that collects relevant information about the community, its needs, and opportunities for meeting needs. Programs are operated by the…