Turning Back the Clock: The Inequitable Impact of Shortening California's School Year. Policy Brief

Education Trust-West. 1814 Franklin Street Suite 220, Oakland, CA 94612. Tel: 510-465-6444; Fax: 510-465-0859; Web site: http://www.edtrust.org/west

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4

Academic Achievement; Low Income Groups; At Risk Students; Minority Groups; Achievement Gap; Outcomes of Education; Teaching Methods; Time Factors (Learning); School Schedules; Educational Policy; School Districts; State Standards; Low Achievement; State Legislation

California's education system has long failed to meet the needs of the low-income students and students of color who are now a vast majority of the state's student population. To close persistent achievement gaps, the state must dramatically improve the learning outcomes of the highest-need students by leveraging proven strategies such as increasing the amount of time students spend in school. Yet, for the last two years, California's policymakers have made the inequitable decision to systematically "reduce" the amount of instructional time that school districts are required to provide. Given that California has some of the widest achievement gaps and lowest student performance in the nation, reducing learning time in schools should not be an option. This paper discusses the benefits of extended learning time and describes the impact of shortening California's instructional time. (Contains 2 figures and 13 endnotes.)

ERIC

2011

ED525738