USA Today wants America’s public schools to add time to the school day and year in an effort to raise student achievement. The evidence is not in their favor. Countries with longer school days and years do not necessarily perform better than the United States. Similarly, shorter school days and years do not necessarily guarantee failure.
One more thing. The USA Today editorial cites “average weekly instructional time,” which is not a sound measure. The length of the school year varies among nations, so it is best to compare instructional time using hours per year. Further, instructional time should be subject-specific because students in the U.S. take electives that other nations do not offer.
