All in Good Time: A Review of the Literature on Instructional Time

• In Event: Design and Implementation of Current Education Policies

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led policymakers to renew calls for expanding instructional time in U.S. K-12 public schools. In this paper, we establish a set of facts to inform this debate. On average, total instructional time in U.S. public schools is comparable to most developed countries, with relatively longer days but shorter years. However, a large minority of traditional public schools teach for substantially fewer hours. We review the empirical literature, which confirms that these differences have important consequences for student achievement. We conclude with a case study that reveals the potential to recover lost learning time within the day.

Authors

• Sarah Novicoff, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Matthew A. Kraft, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author