As various panaceas have been advanced in the last decade to solve the problems of learning in America, education reform has moved in fits and starts. Indeed, as different helmsmen have seized the wheel, the ship of education reform has gone round in circles. If we have learned anything from these efforts, it is that no single solution exists for the problems of American schools.
Reform can only succeed if it is broad and comprehensive, attacking many problems simultaneously.
In that effort, high standards and time are more than simply additional oars in the water. With standards as our compass, time can be the rudder of reform. In our judgment, educators have created a false dilemma in debating whether additional instructional time can be found within the confines of the current day and calendar, or needs to be sought by extending both. False dilemmas produce bad choices. To meet new demands, the United States needs both-the best use of available time and more time.