Research in Time & Learning 

The National Center on Time & Learning is currently partnering with school level practitioners, federal, state and local policymakers, and researchers from across the country to understand the relationship between time and learning to help students meet the demands of the 21st century. To support this work, NCTL is the central resource for research that illuminates the impact of learning time on achievement and long-term student success. The evidence generated by this research will guide policymakers and practitioners to implement more effective education reform strategies centered on the effective use of time. 

The following is a collection of NCTL research publications. Please check back often, as new resources will be continuously made available.

Featured Publication

Time and Learning in Schools: A National Profile April 2011 Mounting concerns over persistently underperforming schools have sparked a renewed interested in increasing the amount of time that children spend in school. Time and Learning in Schools takes the first step towards filling the need for more information on time allocation practices in our nation’s schools.  The authors use data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to measure variation in time practices across the nation’s traditional public, private and charter schools.

Research Briefs

Summer Learning March 2011 Research conducted over the past century indicates that the extended summer vacation and the widely variable ways in which students spend this time, may be perpetuating the achievement gap between low- and higher-income students. This trend is of increasing interest to education stakeholders committed to addressing educational disparities and supporting all students in their efforts to learn and achieve at high levels.

State Instructional Time Policies April 2011 In most states, instructional time requirements are set forth in state law and regulation; thus, the amount of time that students spend in school is widely variable based upon their state of residence. The National Center on Time & Learning has assembled these legislative mandates into this table which highlights the disparity among state policies.

The Relationship Between Time and Learning: A Brief Review of the Theoretical Research  December 2010 After many years of theoretical and experimental studies, the relationship between time and learning in schools is promising. NCTL's brief summarizes the theoretical framework and early research underlying the hypothesis that an important relationship exists between time and learning outcomes.

Time & Attention in Urban High Schools: Lessons for Urban School Systems 
April 2010
Education Resource Strategies and NCTL documented how six urban school districts structure high school time compared to nine Leading Edge high schools. 

Tracking an Emerging Movement: A Report on Expanded-Time Schools in America
December 2009
This report draws from the NCTL Database of Expanded-Time Schools which was designed to catalogue and track the field of expanded-time schools. The database and report represent the most comprehensive attempt to define and describe this growing field. An updated database report is due out in the summer of 2011.

For more information please contact: research@timeandlearning.org