Longer School Hours Equal Better Test Scores At P.S. 186

The kids at P.S. 186 (7601 19th Avenue) probably aren’t happy about having to spend an extra three hours at school everyday but their parents and educators are. The Daily News is reporting that test scores have increased since extending school hours until 5:20 p.m.

The increased hours, set for second, third and fourth graders, have boosted math scores 10 percent and reading scores seven percent. Educators are finding that the extra hours helps their teaching.

“[The longer day] gives instructors the opportunity to have fun with teaching instead of just worrying about covering material,” Principal Bayan Cadotte told the Daily News. “It’s very hard to squeeze everything in during the day, [without more hours.]”

Principal Cadotte promised that eventually, all 883 students at P.S. 186 will have to stay until 5:20 p.m., creating a curriculum that will allow more space for art, dance, theater and music while also providing increased reinforcement of the basics.

Education officials are looking to increase hours for thousands of other middle school students, hoping to boost test scores. Parents are mostly thrilled with the results though some are chaffing at the greater workload their children face.

“She had no free time to herself,” parent Christine Abbate told the Daily News. “I had a harder time getting her to school because she was so tired. From 8 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. is a lot of hours. It’s longer than a standard work day.”

Welcome to the real world.