Since I was in middle school, I have heard a drum beat of the need for American schoolchildren to spend more time in school and on homework to catch up to our international peers.
This is true today as well. I’ve seen some gut-wrenching articles about ditching summer vacation, and even the President has opined on extending the school day and year.
My narrow, empirical data tells me that we have been extending the school day for decades and we have not seen any results. This belief has led me to expound to anyone I think will be receptive to the idea that:
“If someone were to make a chart showing time in school versus achievement, I bet there would be a negative correlation.”
Just recently, a colleague Carlos Jerez Hanckes (@cfjerez) replied, “And you should be the one to make that chart.”
Challenge Accepted. But first, a warning