What Does Obama Think About More Time in School?

U.S. Education Secretary Duncan In Favor of Expanding Learning Time

Dec 23, 2008 Leigh Hopkins

President Obama and US Education Secretary Arne Duncan are in favor of more time for learning. Will this mean more time in school?

Long before he was the Democratic front-runner in the 2008 presidential election, then-Senator Barack Obama was supportive of more time for learning, including summer learning, before- and after-school programming, and longer school days, or expanded learning time. The Obama transition team’s recent selection of Arne Duncan as the new U.S. Education Secretary may be further indication of the administration’s favorable views toward students spending more time in school.

In a recent visit to Chicago following the announcement of Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan as US Education Secretary, President Obama visited with children at the Chicago Dodge Renaissance Academy. A December 16th Associated Press article reported that as he sat on the carpet talking about the current school day, President Obama joked: "You're trying to figure out if you're going to be in school longer. Well, let me tell you, kids in a lot of other countries go to school more than kids here in the United States," he said, adding that he hasn't made any decisions. "The longer you're here, the smarter you get."

Arne Duncan and Longer Days

Since 2004, the Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010 initiative has given 100 charter schools within the district the freedom to develop a more flexible school schedule as one means for helping students to gain proficiency in academic areas. A report from the Renaissance School Fund found that students in “Ren 10” schools receive an average of 43% more time than non-Ren 10 schools.

Although it’s still to early to tell what the long-term effects of this experiment will be, early indicators – like improved scores on the Illinois State Assessment Test (ISAT) – have been positive. Given Chicago Public Schools’ initial success with expanded learning time (ELT), it’s considered likely that former Chicago Superintendent Arne Duncan will consider initiatives that expand the school day in more schools across the country.

Policy Implications of Expanded Learning Time

On August 1, Senator Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the Time for Innovation Matters in Education (TIME) Act, an important next step for the expanded learning time movement. The TIME Act, if enacted, would provide federal funding to support states’ efforts to expand the school day in up to 30 pilot schools in each of the ten state awarded grants. The reform would enable more than 300 public schools schools to expand learning time for students by 30% and to redesign the school schedule.

The Obama administration’s early press on expanded learning time bodes well for the TIME Act’s passage. New Education Secretary Arne Duncan's experiment with longer school days in Chicago Public Schools also suggests that the new administration will consider policy initiatives that support more time for learning. While this will not mean longer school days for every student in the nation, children in hundreds of the lowest performing schools would have the chance to benefit from the opportunities provided through an expanded, redesigned school day.

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Obama Favors More Time for learning