Groups Want Instruction Time Boosted

A group of education organizations and others are urging support for proposed Congressional legislation that calls for expanding school instruction time by at least 300 hours a year.

The Time for Innovation Matters in Education (TIME) Act seeks to provide more time for learning in core subjects such as reading, language arts, math, science, history and civics; as well as additional subjects, life skills and enrichment activities such as music and the arts, physical education, service learning and hands-on work-based learning opportunities.

It also calls for providing teachers more time to work collaboratively, plan coursework, analyze and use data, and participate in training and professional development to improve instruction and student performance.

"Expanded learning time, used well, is a whole-school reform strategy that is proving to be a key lever in raising student achievement and improving teaching for students in struggling schools," says Jennifer Davis, president & CEO of the National Center on Time & Learning, one of the proponents of the legislation.

Supporters of the Time Act include the National Education Association, the American Association of School Administrators and the National Association of State Boards of Education.