K-12 Education: Federal Funding for and Characteristics of Public Schools with Extended Learning Time
Published: 2015-11-30T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: In recent years, a key strategy for improving student outcomes has been to extend learning time by lengthening the school day or year. In 2010, Education made significant changes to its SIG program, funded at about $506 million in fiscal year 2015, including requiring schools to extend learning time in certain instances. In 2012, Education began to invite waiver requests from states to use funds from its $1.2 billion 21st Century program to conduct authorized activities during extended learning time. Little is known about how much time public K-12 students spend in school. An explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 113-235 required GAO to report on learning time.
In this report, GAO examines: (1) various Education programs that can be used to support extended learning time for K-12 students, and (2) learning time in public schools nationwide. In this report, GAO focuses on programs that require or may allow schools to lengthen the school day, week, or year.
GAO analyzed the most recent available SIG and 21st Century grant data, as well as Education data on learning time from a nationally representative sample of schools. GAO also reviewed applicable federal laws, regulations, and agency documents; and interviewed Education officials and stakeholders selected to obtain diverse perspectives of school districts, states, service providers, and teachers.
GAO makes no recommendations in this report. Education provided technical comments, which are incorporated as appropriate.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The Department of Education (Education) primarily supports extended learning time for K-12 public schools through the School Improvement Grants program (SIG). The SIG program, with an average 3-year grant of $2.6 million, is the only Education program that provides funds specifically to establish extended learning time in schools, according to Education. Nearly 1,800 schools that received SIG funds (about 94 percent of SIG schools) were required to extend learning time under the SIG program for school years 2010-2011 through 2014-2015. In addition, under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st Century) grant program a small number of grantee schools—about 69 of the 10,000—have used program funds to support extended learning time. However, to do so, states need to obtain a waiver from Education to permit schools to use funds to conduct authorized program activities during an extended school day, week, or year. Education officials said that the average annual 21st Century grant was about $113,000. Although Education supports extended learning time with the SIG and, in rare cases, the 21st Century program, Education officials also pointed out that most of its K-12 programs are designed to be used during the school day, regardless of the length of the day.
Regarding learning time, GAO estimates that the average length of the school day for K-12 public schools nationwide is just under 7 hours and the average school year is almost 180 days, according to GAO's analysis of Education's 2011-2012 data, the most recent available. In terms of hours per year, schools with the most time average almost 1,350 hours compared to about 1,200 hours, nationally. In addition, among all public schools, charter schools represent a larger proportion of schools with more time (about one-third of all charter schools) compared to approximately 9 percent of traditional public schools. Charter schools also represented a larger proportion of students who are low income, African American, or Hispanic. Regarding how schools use extended learning time, we found that schools with the most hours in a school year use it for different purposes. For example, GAO estimates that eighth-grade students in these schools spend, on average, one more hour per week on academic subjects such as English, math, and science, while third-graders spent more time in music, art, and physical education classes.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: In recent years, there has been an increased focus on extending learning  time as a key strategy for turning around the nation’s low-performing  schools. For example, in 2010, the Department of Education (Education)  made significant changes to the requirements in its School Improvement  Grants program (SIG program)—funded at about $506 million in fiscal  year 2015—which required certain school districts to extend students’  learning time as a key strategy for improving the lowest-performing  schools. In addition to changes in the SIG program, Education in 2012  began to allow states to request waivers to permit the use of funds from  its $1.2 billion 21st Century Community Learning Centers program (21st  Century) to conduct authorized program activities during the school day,  week, or year in schools that have implemented extended learning time.
Extended learning time—sometimes referred to as increased learning  time or expanded learning time—aims to improve student achievement in  a variety of ways including lengthening the school day, week, or year,  providing before- and after-school activities, and providing summer  programs. All states require a minimum amount of instructional time in a  school year, according to a 2015 Education Commission of the States  study. However, the study found that states vary in how they define that  time in terms of days and hours and the requirements school districts  must meet. Further, school districts often vary in how much time they  have in a school year beyond their state-mandated requirements.  Consequently, it can be difficult to determine what constitutes an  extended school day, week, or year. A statement accompanying the  Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 included  a provision for us to review these issues.
In this report, we examined what is known about 1) various Education  programs that can be used to support extended learning time for K-12  students and 2) learning time in public schools nationwide.
See 160 Cong. Rec. H9307, H9841 (daily ed. Dec. 11, 2014) (explanatory statement),  accompanying Pub. L. No. 113-235, 128 Stat. 2130 (2014). focused on programs that allow or require school districts to use program  funds to lengthen the school day, week, or year for all students in a  school. Activities that take place beyond the regular school day, such as  after-school activities and programs or summer school programs, are  outside the scope of this review. We also reviewed relevant federal laws,  regulations, guidance, and program-specific information, such as program  performance reports. We analyzed SIG program data for school years  2010-2011 through 2014-2015. We assessed data reliability by reviewing  existing information about the data system. We determined that the data  were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report. We also  interviewed Education officials and other key stakeholders to clarify which  federal program funds schools may be using for this purpose. The key  stakeholders included officials from organizations that provide and/or are  familiar with extended learning time as well as from organizations that  represent state educational agencies, school districts, and teachers. We  identified organizations based on a review of selected literature and  discussions with Education officials.
To determine what is known about learning time in public schools  nationwide, we analyzed national data from Education’s Schools and  Staffing Survey (SASS) for school year 2011-2012, the most recent year  for which data were available. SASS contains data from a generalizable  sample of K-12 public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.  We used SASS data to estimate the distribution of instructional time by  hours per day and days per year. To identify schools with the most  learning time, we created a measure of the number of hours each school  provides annually. This measure of annual school time was calculated by  multiplying the number of hours of instruction that students receive per  day by the number of days the school operates during the school year. To  describe the characteristics of schools with the most learning time, we  analyzed schools with the most school hours annually, which we defined  as the top 10 percent of schools, and compared them with the remaining  90 percent of schools. For this analysis we looked at selected school  characteristics from the SASS dataset, including the length of the school  day; number of days in the school year; school level and type (e.g.,  traditional public and charter schools); location (e.g., Census region and  urban vs. rural locations); and student demographics, such as race,  ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We assessed data reliability by  reviewing existing information about the data system. We determined that  the data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report. For both  research objectives, we reviewed selected reports on extended learning  time, including how schools fund extended learning time initiatives and  how schools use the additional time in the school day.
We conducted this performance audit from June 2015 to November 2015  in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.
subsections: section_title: Background
subsections: section_title: School Improvement Grants Program
paragraphs: The School Improvement Grants (SIG) program was created in 2002 and  funds reforms in the country’s lowest-performing schools with the goal of  improving student outcomes, such as their standardized test scores and  graduation rates. Congress greatly increased SIG program funding, from  $125 million available in fiscal year 2007—the first year the program was  funded—to $3.5 billion in fiscal year 2009, although funding for the last  two fiscal years has been $506 million a year. Before awarding formula  grants to states, Education reviews each state’s application and approves  the state’s proposed process for competitively awarding SIG subgrants to  eligible entities, including school districts. As a part of its application, each  state is required to identify and prioritize eligible schools and ensure that  school districts with the persistently lowest-achieving schools receive SIG  funding. School districts must then apply to states to implement one of  seven intervention models in each SIG school, each with specific  requirements for reform interventions, during a grant period between 3  and 5 years. Two of these intervention models, which are being  implemented in the large majority of current SIG schools, require schools  to extend learning time as part of the required whole-school reform  strategies.
SIG requirements define increased learning time as using a longer school  day, week, or year to significantly increase the total number of school  hours. This additional time is to be used for (1) instruction in academic  subjects, including English, reading or language arts, mathematics,  science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts,  history, and geography; (2) instruction in other subjects and provision of  enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education, such as  physical education, service learning, and experiential and work-based  learning opportunities; and (3) teachers to collaborate, plan, and engage  in professional development within and across grades and subjects.
section_title: 21st Century Program
paragraphs: The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program (21st Century) is  meant to support local communities in establishing or expanding  community learning centers that provide opportunities for academic  enrichment during non-school hours, such as before- and after-school  and summer school programs, and related services to students’  families. The program provides formula grants to state educational  agencies (SEA), which subsequently offer competitive subgrants to  eligible entities, including school districts, community-based  organizations, and other public or private entities. SEAs must provide an  assurance in their applications for 21st Century grants that they will make  awards only to eligible entities that propose to serve students who  primarily attend schools eligible to operate a schoolwide program under  Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as  amended (ESEA), which are schools with at least 40 percent of students  from low-income families. In addition to activities designed to help  students meet state and local academic achievement standards, program  funds may be used to provide activities that complement and reinforce a  student’s regular school-day program, such as art and music education  activities, recreational activities, telecommunications and technology  education programs, expanded library hours, literacy programs, and drug  and violence prevention activities.
In fiscal year 2012, Education began to invite SEAs to waive specific  ESEA provisions, which require community learning centers to carry out  their activities during non-school hours or periods when school is not in  session. The waiver allows grantees to use 21st Century program funds  to conduct authorized activities during an extended school day, week, or  year in schools that provide extended learning time for all students in the  school. Education’s guidance for the 21st Century program defines  “expanded learning time” as “additional instruction or educational  programs for all students beyond the state-mandated requirements for the  minimum number of hours in a school day, days in a school week, or  days or weeks in a school year.” According to Education guidance,  these activities can include supplemental academic enrichment activities  that support a well-rounded education for students and increase  collaboration and planning time for teachers, or for partnering with outside  organizations, such as nonprofit organizations, that have demonstrated  experience in improving student achievement.
subsections: section_title: K-12 Public School Funding
paragraphs: The vast majority of funding for K-12 public schools nationwide comes  from state and local sources. For example, in school year 2009-2010,  U.S. public schools received about 87 percent of their funding from state  and local sources—43 percent from state sources and 44 percent from  local sources. Federal funding has generally comprised about 9 percent  of public schools’ funding from school year 2002-2003 through 2008- 2009. In school year 2009-2010, federal funding for public schools  comprised about 13 percent, which was slightly higher than in previous  years due in part to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of  2009. For public schools nationally, Education’s Title I, Part A of ESEA,  is among the programs providing the largest amounts of federal funding.
section_title: Education Supports Extended Learning Time Primarily through the School Improvement Grants Program
subsections: section_title: Education Promoted Extended Learning Time in K-12 Public Schools with Nearly 1,800 School Improvement Grants
paragraphs: The School Improvement Grants (SIG) program is the only program  administered by Education that provides funds specifically to establish  extended learning time in a school, according to Education officials.  Between school year 2010-2011, when changes were made to SIG to  require extended learning time in certain instances, and 2014-2015, the  last year SIG data are available, nearly 1,800 schools or approximately  94 percent of SIG schools had chosen either of two school improvement  models that require extended learning time, out of the four available  models (see fig. 1). The schools implementing either of those two models  had to extend learning time alongside other key reforms such as  developing new teacher and principal evaluation systems. However,  these 1,800 schools represent a small fraction of the nearly 90,000 K-12  public schools nationwide. Further, among the lowest-performing U.S.  public schools, less than 7.5 percent are receiving SIG funds, according  to a 2012 Institute of Education Sciences study.
Although only about 1,800 schools have received assistance through SIG  grants, this assistance can be vital to a school in helping to implement  key reforms such as extended learning time. According to an Education  report on the 2012-2013 school year, the average 3-year grant was $2.6  million as of that year. Education found that 68 percent of SIG schools in  school year 2010-2011 (referred to as Cohort 1),  79 percent in school  year 2011-2012 (referred to as Cohort 2), and 83 percent of SIG schools  in school year 2012-2013 provided extended learning time.  This is to  be expected given that, as previously noted, most school districts have  chosen a SIG model that requires extended learning time. On average,  Cohorts 1 and 2 had 76 and 96 more hours, respectively, than all public  schools in school year 2011-2012, according to Education’s analysis of  SIG grant reports. Additionally, a 2014 Institute of Education Sciences  study found that 71 percent of SIG schools surveyed had extended  learning time, while only 60 percent of non-grantee schools had taken  steps to increase learning time. However, Education officials also told  us some schools increased learning time by very little, some by as little as  10 minutes a day.
section_title: Very Few Grantees Used 21st Century Grants to Support Extended Learning Time
paragraphs: In contrast to SIG, where most SIG schools are implementing extended  learning time, as of July 2015, Education officials reported that only a  fraction of the 21st Century learning centers it funds—about 69 out of  10,000 nationwide—are supplementing local extended learning time  initiatives by taking advantage of waivers of ESEA requirements that  allow them to provide 21st Century program activities and services during  an extended school day. Therefore, as required by statute, more than  99 percent of the centers continue to use these subgrants to serve  students outside school hours, which according to Education officials is  typically in after-school programs where attendance is voluntary. The  average subgrant per center was about $113,000 per school year.  Regardless of whether subgrantees conduct activities during extended  learning time or not, centers are to follow the same program rules about  what types of activities can be funded. Further, Education said schools  cannot use these funds to establish new programs to extend the school  day. Rather, they can be used only to supplement other programs and  activities for all students in schools that had extended the normal school  day, week, or year.
Education reported in its fiscal year 2015 budget justification that using  21st Century funds in this way could improve 21st Century program  performance by minimizing or eliminating participation problems that  many schools and other providers have experienced. For example,  Education reported that nearly half of students attending 21st Century  activities attended for fewer than 30 days in school year 2012-2013. Two  extended learning time providers we interviewed said that changing from  voluntary after-school activities to programs during the extended school  day, which is generally mandatory for all students, helped reach  underserved students who may not have chosen to attend if the activities  were offered after school.
Since 2012, 27 states have applied for ESEA waivers to allow 21st  Century grantees to conduct authorized activities during the school day to  support extended learning time, and all were approved by Education.  However, as of July 2015, only 11 of those states have schools that have  implemented extended learning time programs. With regard to states’  limited use of these waivers, Education officials said that while the  waivers have been available since mid-2012, extended learning time can  be expensive to implement and it takes time for states to plan and  collaborate with districts, schools, and community organizations.  Additionally, Education officials said states are not required to report the  number of eligible entities using this waiver flexibility, so these numbers  may be low. Education is currently collecting data on conducting activities  during the school day in schools with extended learning time for its 21st  Century programs for the first time, and officials told us they plan to report  detailed figures in February 2016 on the number of hours and locations of  all 21st Century programs in schools with extended learning time.
section_title: Schools May Use Other Education Funding During Extended Learning Time
paragraphs: Education officials told us that most Education funding streams are  designed for use during the school day–regardless of the length of the  school day or year–and as such, schools may use these funds during  extended learning time, consistent with other program requirements. For  example, schools may use funds from Title I, Part A of ESEA to serve all  students in schools that operate a schoolwide program in which they  serve a high-concentration of students from low-income families.  Education officials said that these funds could be used to supplement  local funding to extend the school day for all students in those schools.  Officials added that Charter School Grants may support eligible charter  schools with or without extended learning time programs.  Charter School  Grants are primarily designed to assist in the planning, program design,  and initial implementation of charter schools, either through the creation  of new charter schools or the replication or the expansion of existing high- quality charter schools with demonstrated records of success. In  another example, Education officials told us that Full-Service Community  Schools grants, which support partnerships among schools, school  districts, and community-based organizations for coordinated academic,  social, and health services can be used to provide those services during  extended learning time.
Representatives from several organizations we interviewed also identified  ways that Education programs can contribute to extended learning time.  For example, a representative from a teachers’ union we interviewed told  us the union worked with a school that used Title I funds to hire a site  coordinator who helped the school manage implementation of a longer  school day. Representatives from extended learning time organizations  also told us that Title II funding, which is used for teacher development,  was helpful for schools with extended learning time because it allowed  them to use the longer day for more professional development. A  representative from an organization representing school superintendents  said school districts may be using Title VI funds, which provide assistance  to rural schools, to extend learning time.
Education officials cautioned that schools that use federal funds during  extended learning time must meet all applicable requirements for those  funds, including requirements related to allowable costs and any statutory  “supplement not supplant” requirement. In general, this requirement  precludes a grantee from using federal funds for activities that it would  conduct, in the absence of such federal funds, with state or local funds.
section_title: Schools with the Most Time in School Share Certain Characteristics and Use the Additional Time for Different Purposes
subsections: section_title: Average Length of K-12 Public School Day Was Just Under 7 Hours, and Those with the Most Time Add Hours to the Day, Not Days to the School Year
paragraphs: On average, we estimate that K-12 public schools nationwide have a 6.7- hour school day and a 179-day school year, according to our analysis of  Education’s School and Staffing Survey (SASS) data for the 2011-2012  school year, the most recent data available (see fig. 2). Specifically, an  estimated 65 percent of schools have school days that are from 6.5 to 7.5  hours.
Further, K-12 public schools that have the most time in school have an  estimated average of 1,341 hours in a school year, which is about 137  more hours (or about four more weeks) than the estimated national  average of 1,204 hours, according to our analysis of Education’s SASS  data for the 2011-2012 school year. The schools with the most time are  going well beyond the hours required per year by most states.  Specifically, a 2015 Education Commission of the States study found that  most states require between 900 and 1,080 hours per year for all  grades.
The 9,000 schools in the top 10 percent of schools with the most school  hours tend to add time by lengthening the school day more so than  adding days to the school year. Specifically, according to our analysis of  SASS data, schools in the top 10 percent of schools with the most time  typically have a school day that is estimated to be one hour longer than  all other schools. Further, representatives from the three extended  learning time organizations we spoke with told us that most schools  extended the day as opposed to adding days in the year. One  representative told us that the typical schools they partner with have  about three additional hours per day and operate Monday through Friday  until 6 p.m.
section_title: Time Varies by School Type and School Location, but Little by Grade Level
paragraphs: Charter schools generally include more hours in a school year than  traditional K-12 public schools (see fig. 3). Specifically, charter schools  have an estimated average of 1,285 hours in a school year compared to  an average of 1,209 hours for traditional public schools, according to our  analysis of Education’s SASS data for the 2011-2012 school year.  Further, a larger proportion of charter schools fall into the category of  schools with the most time (30 percent)  as compared to 9 percent of  traditional public schools. Specifically, of the estimated 2,754 charter  schools nationwide, 867 are in the top 10 percent of schools with the  most hours. As we have previously reported, charter schools typically  operate with more autonomy than traditional public schools.  Consequently, charter schools may have fewer barriers than traditional  public schools to extending their hours.
Similarly, the time that K-12 public schools spend on learning differs by  region of the country and by school setting (e.g., urban or rural). Schools  in the South have an estimated average of 1,253 learning hours per year,  in the Northeast schools reported an estimated 1,197 hours, in the  Midwest an estimated 1,192 hours, and the West an estimated 1,146  hours. The additional hours means that schools in the South provide, on  average, approximately 3 weeks more learning time per year than  schools in the West. The average number of school hours also differs  according to a school’s setting. An estimated 7 percent of suburban  schools were in the top 10 percent of schools with the most learning time,  compared to 10 to 12 percent of schools in urban, small town, and rural  settings.
Conversely, there is little difference in annual school hours by grade  level—such as elementary, middle or high school (see fig. 5). For  example, for 90 percent of all public K-12 schools nationwide, middle  schools have the most learning time, with an estimated 1,213 hours in a  school year. The difference is relatively small, however; middle schools  have an estimated 38 more hours per year than elementary schools and  an estimated 36 more hours than for high schools. For the 10 percent of  schools with the most learning time, high schools have the most time,  with an estimated 1,428 hours in a school year, but again, the difference  is small. High schools have an estimated 17 hours more time than  elementary schools and an estimated 10 hours more time than middle  schools. One extended learning time provider we spoke with works to  extend the learning day for low-income middle school students by  providing academic support and project-based apprenticeships. Another  extended learning time provider told us its extended learning time model  is typically for kindergarten through eighth grades.
section_title: Schools with the Most Hours in a School Year Serve Larger Proportions of Low-Income and African American and Hispanic Students
paragraphs: Our analysis of SASS data for the 2011-2012 school year shows that K- 12 public schools with the most time have a larger proportion of students  receiving free or reduced price lunch—an estimated 61 percent—than all  other schools whose student body population comprises 51 percent of  these students (see fig. 6). Further, public K-12 schools in the top 10  percent of schools with the most time have a larger proportion of African  American and Hispanic students—an estimated 9 percent more African- American students and 7 percent more Hispanic students—than all other  schools.
One explanation for this could be that, according to our analysis, charter  schools serve higher percentages of low income, African American, and  Hispanic students than traditional public schools. African Americans  account for approximately 27 percent and Hispanics for 28 percent of the  charter school student body population nationwide compared to 13 and  21 percent in traditional public schools, respectively. Further, among  public schools in the top 10 percent of schools with the most learning  time, charters serve a higher percentage of African American and  Hispanics students compared to traditional public schools. Specifically,  African Americans account for approximately 37 percent of students in  these schools and Hispanics account for 44 percent, compared with 19  and 25 percent in traditional public schools, respectively.
Further, one of Education’s largest grant programs can be used to  supplement local initiatives during extended school days or years and  targets schools with a high concentration of low-income students.  Specifically, Title I, Part A of ESEA provides funds to school districts and  schools that serve high concentrations of low-income students. Further,  representatives of extended learning time organizations we interviewed  told us that the schools they work with tend to extend the school day to  improve achievement for students who are low-income and minority who  may not have access to the same enrichment activities as their more  socioeconomically advantaged peers. One representative from an  extended learning time organization told us that its programs seek to  close gaps in opportunity and educational achievement for disadvantaged  communities.
section_title: Schools with the Most Hours Spend More Time on Instruction
paragraphs: Public K-12 schools with the most hours in a school year use this  additional time for different purposes, including more instruction in math  and literacy, and more time for the arts and physical education. For  example, during the 2011-2012 school year, eighth-grade students in  schools with the most time (the top 10 percent) are estimated to have  spent an additional 1.3 hours per week, on average, in English language  arts, math, and science instruction compared to eighth-graders in all other  schools. Further, third-grade students in schools with the most time  spent an estimated additional 48 minutes per week, on average, in music,  art, and physical education classes than third-graders in all other schools,  according to our analysis of SASS data. Representatives from the three  extended learning organizations we spoke with told us that their programs  provide students more time for instruction in academic subjects and for  enrichment activities, such as a debate club and project-based learning  activities in science.
Teachers in the schools with the most time spend more time providing  instruction to students as compared to all other schools. Specifically,  teachers in schools with the most time (the top 10 percent) teach an  estimated 1.3 more hours per week compared to all other schools, with a  weekly total of 31.2 hours compared to 29.8 hours. On the other hand,  there was no significant difference in the hours spent in a school year on  professional development between schools with the most time and all  other schools. Further, according to a representative from one extended  learning time organization with whom we spoke, schools often partner  with external participants or providers of after-school programs to provide  academic instruction or enrichment activities during the school day.
section_title: Agency Comments
paragraphs: We are not making recommendations in this report.  We provided a draft  of this report to the Department of Education for comment.  Education  provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.
We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional  committees, the Secretary of Education, and other interested parties. In  addition, the report will be available at no charge on GAO’s web site at  http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff should have any questions about this report, please  contact me at (617) 788-0580 or nowickij@gao.gov. Contact points for  our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found  on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key contributions to  this report are listed in appendix I.
section_title: Appendix I: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: GAO Contact
section_title: Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: In addition to the contact named above, Elizabeth Sirois (Assistant  Director), Sheranda Campbell (Analyst-in-Charge), and Lucas Alvarez  made significant contributions to this report. Assistance, expertise, and  guidance were provided by Susan Aschoff, James Rebbe, Kirsten  Lauber, John Mingus, Carl Barden, and James Bennett.