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December 11, 2007
Is more better?BoardBuzz came across an article in USA Today that talks about how if schools increased math instruction by 10 minutes each day math achievement would rise. The article was based on a report released this morning by the Brooking Institute's Brown Center for Education that compared the math achievement of 8th graders in 20 countries between 1995 and 2003. However, the increase in math scores was not exactly overwhelming; a mere 19 points on an 800 point scale. Besides, as the report noted, between 1995 and 2003, U.S. math scores actually increased as time for instruction decreased by 4 minutes a week.
BoardBuzz was curious what other research was out there about class time so we visited our friends at the Center for Public Education. Their report on Time and Scheduling points out that, indeed, increasing instructional time can improve student achievement. However, the Center's report also notes out that any additional time should focus on academic activities and that effective professional development should be put in place so teachers learn how to use those extra minutes effectively. So just like so many other education reform ideas BoardBuzz has heard over the years, increasing math instruction may lead to higher math achievement, but only if done correctly.
On another note, while going through the Brooking's report, BoardBuzz noted that private school enrollments have been decreasing since the 1960s while public school enrollments have increased. Riddle us this: if public schools are getting worse as some critics say, why then are more and more parents choosing to send their children to public schools over private schools?
To learn more about time and scheduling, international comparisons and many other educational issues of the day, check out www.centerforpubliceducation.org.
Posted December 11, 2007 3:20 PM | Curriculum | Students
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Comments(1)
Posted by: Kevin on December 29, 2007 11:08 AM
I'm not sure how you conclude that more parents are choosing to send kids to public school because enrollment is up. You should know better than to make a causal link there. The decline in private school enrollment since the 1960s can be linked to the shuttering of urban Catholic schools and immigration. You have a good site. There's no need to propagandize.
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