Press Statement: Lack of learning time robs students of opportunities

Jennifer Davis, president and co-founder of the National Center on Time & Learning, made the following statement today in response to the class action complaint filed yesterday by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and the Public Counsel Law Center on behalf of students in seven California schools who have been deprived of adequate learning time. 

 

“As yesterday’s class action complaint says plainly and correctly, ‘learning takes time.’ Yet in California and across the country, states and school districts routinely deprive students in high-poverty schools of adequate learning time. To overcome the disadvantages of poverty, students in high poverty schools need more learning time than the conventional school calendar provides, yet they receive less of it. That means students don’t have enough time to master math and reading, let alone other core subjects like science and history. It means they don’t receive the enrichment activities like robotics and hands-on learning that make school engaging. It means they don’t get enough physical education to keep them healthy or enough arts education to keep them engaged. It means they miss out on the learning opportunities they need to succeed in college, the workplace, and our democratic society. All too often, inadequate learning time robs students of a bright future.

 

“Schools across the country are showing the great promise and potential of expanding the school calendar to give all students – and particularly students living in poverty – the learning opportunities they need and deserve. This lawsuit underscores the pressing need to expand learning time in high-poverty schools while also making sure that the time is used wisely and effectively. We applaud these students for fighting for the high-quality learning time they deserve.”