School day length - Abstract

School Administrator, Jan, 2003

How much time students spend in school varies widely depending on Student and classroom characteristics.

Researchers from Teachers College and the University of Maryland discovered, among other things, that while minority students had more time allocated to academic subjects, they had less exposure to recess and enrichment activities. One-third of African-American students had no recess, more than twice the rate of white students.

The study collected data from a national sample of 1st through 5th graders in the United States. Teachers completed a time diary and researchers then grouped students' activities at school into four categories, accounting for all but nine minutes of the school day: academic, enrichment, recess and maintenance activities.

The researchers suggest that the consequences of a lack of exposure and engagement in the arts, both developmentally and educationally, may be substantial.

The study's findings are available at www.tcrecord.org.