Extra! Extra!
The Dimensions of Time

For more than two decades, policymakers and practitioners have wrestled with the many complex issues surrounding education reform. The Dimensions of Time and the Change of School Reform, newly released by SUNY press, raises the issue of time and its role in both the success and failure of school reform as schools experiment with various models.

What is the role that time plays in both learning and instruction? What are the benefits and drawbacks of extending the traditional nine-month school year? How can teachers, students, and administrators think about time in innovative ways? Editor Patricia Gándara, Associate Professor of Education at the University of California, Davis, talks about what’s being tried, what’s working, and the surprising implications for teachers.

What do educators need to understand about time and its relationship to learning?
Educators understand quite well that time is a very important variable that needs to be manipulated—that some children need more time for some things than others. It’s more the problem of trying to make that work in a very rigid school system that doesn’t allow one to make those accommodations for kids.

Several of the book’s contributors advocate extending the nine-month school year. Why, in their opinions, is that such a good idea?
We’re not arguing that everybody should be in school for more than nine months and that all calendars should look alike. But the argument that comes through is that if you want to innovate and maximize the resources you have, it makes sense to rethink the calendar. Some children can go to school for 180 days, but perhaps a different set of 180 days. Other children might be able to attend for more than 180 days where their needs are greater in certain areas.

How does extended time for learning increase teacher satisfaction?
The success of school reform should not be judged just on outcomes for children, but on outcomes for teachers as well. A calendar that allows teachers to innovate more and work more with children who have particular needs allows teachers to see a greater impact on their students. It also provides the opportunity for teachers to have more flexibility in how they do their job.

In one situation in California, teachers who wanted to extend their work year could do so for increased pay. They extended their time teaching in a year by 20 percent in exchange for 20 percent more salary. The teachers were just restored, not only by the increased financial benefits, but also by the new opportunity to do things differently.

We also found that an open calendar allowed teachers new ways to organize their teaching and more opportunities for collaboration and team teaching, which many found to be a tremendous benefit to their effectiveness. Older, more experienced teachers were innovating in ways they never would have, and many teachers found flexible schedules worked better in their personal lives.

Overall, what has been teacher reaction to time reform proposals in schools in which they’ve been implemented?
It’s really quite consistent that there is reluctance at the beginning. But after the second year, not only in our studies but others I have reviewed across the country, teachers have preferred the change and not wanted to return to a traditional schedule. When teachers have been given the opportunity to work out a schedule that works best for them and their communities, reform has been evaluated quite highly once it’s had the opportunity to take hold.

How have students reacted to the idea of extended learning time?
There have been some amazing reactions. In one case, as they began to reform the school, they went to the students, many of whom were migrant students, and asked "What is it that we can do in the school to make learning better?" The students said "If we could make up this work, if we didn’t have to be tied to a schedule where we have to be here nine months of the time, this would work better for us."

The teachers worked with the students to create a more flexible schedule, and there was a great deal of satisfaction—not only because this was a better schedule, but also because the students had participated in creating this change. If you really want to radically change things that work for students, it helps to ask the students.

Are there other time reform strategies that are being tried?
Yes, things such as block scheduling, extending classroom periods, have all been tried with mixed reviews. If schools go in and convert to block scheduling, for example, but don’t give a lot of thought to how they want to do it or to preparing teachers for it, there’s no reason to believe they’ll get achievement increases. But when used thoughtfully around a larger reform program, schools are reporting achievement increases for their students.

What would you say to school systems that might be considering such changes?
Involve your teachers, your students, and your communities from the very beginning instead of foisting change on them. Look at the literature, at what other people have done and what they can tell you works and doesn’t work. And be open to the idea that once you’ve created some sort of a reform doesn’t mean it’s over. It’s an ongoing process.

For More: Contact Gándara at pcgandara@ucdavis.edu.