NewsHour Extra: Can Longer School Days Close the Achievement Gap? Lesson Plan |PBS: Eleven districts across five states -- Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee -- will extend school time by at least 300 hours, starting in 2013. The three-year pilot program hopes to make American students more competitive with their counterparts in other countries who rank higher in math and reading.
The extra time does not necessarily mean more classes. Some schools are expected to incorporate more recess so that students can move around, tutoring to work on academic weaknesses, and arts and science programs that have been cut in recent years.
