Adding 20 days to the school year is helping students learn, write Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras and Taikein Cooper, executive director of the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, on The 74.
District schools closed in March, 2020 and didn’t reopen until fall 2021, more than 500 days later, they write. It had a "devastating impact" on students' learning.
Last year, Richmond offered a 200-day school year, rather than the traditional 180 days, at two elementary schools. More than 90 percent of families and 70 percent of teachers opted to participate. Others were able to move to a school with a traditional calendar.
Parents who opted in "were glad to have four extra weeks of free, safe and structured learning time," Kamras and Cooper write. "Teachers were eager to keep their students on track and were excited about the extra pay: a 10% increase in salary and an automatic $10,000 bonus."
Students at the two schools started classes in July 2023 and finished with the rest of the district in May. The schools used the extra time "to build relationships with families, dive into literacy instruction and enrich the curriculum with field trips and enrichment activities," they write. Staffers talked to parents and caregivers about the importance of daily attendance and helped with transportation, if necessary. "Local businesses, nonprofits and donors also stepped up to provide students with everything from school supplies and meals to washer-dryers and haircuts at school."
Attendance improved, despite the longer school year. And students learned more.
Fairfield Court Elementary’s early-literacy proficiency rates jumped from 61% to 82% in just one year. It now has the seventh-highest early literacy scores out of 26 elementary schools in the district, despite having the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (97%). Cardinal Elementary, where over 80% of students are recent immigrants, also saw gains, going from 53% to 58% proficient.
This year, two more elementary schools are on the 200-day calendar,. A majority of families and staff agreed to participate. Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing the extra funding.
200-day calendars are standard in Japan and among its East Asian neighbours: they play a major role in helping those states to outperform Americans (and everyone else, in mathematical sciences) on international assessments.