Attention has been directed toward extended school time as a measure to improve academic achievement. The school year and day length have varied over time and across localities depending on the particular needs of the community. Proponents argue that extending time will have learning and non-academic benefits. Opponents suggest increased time is…

A meta-analysis found that attending full-day (or all-day) kindergarten had a positive association with academic achievement (compared to half-day kindergarten) equal to about one quarter standard deviation at the end of the kindergarten year. But the association disappeared by third grade. Reasons for this fade-out are discussed. Social…

New emphasis is being placed on the importance of parent involvement in children's education. In a synthesis of research on the effects of parent involvement in homework, a meta-analysis of 14 studies that manipulated parent training for homework involvement reveals that training parents to be involved in their child's homework results in (a)…

In this article, research conducted in the United States since 1987 on the effects of homework is summarized. Studies are grouped into four research designs. The authors found that all studies, regardless of type, had design flaws. However, both within and across design types, there was generally consistent evidence for a positive influence of…

Synthesizes studies of the effects of modifying the academic calendar in grades K-12 to do away with the long summer break without increasing the length of the school year. Findings show that evidence on such modification is weak, but that modified calendars are associated with higher achievement for economically disadvantaged students. (SLD)

A review of 39 studies indicates that achievement-test scores decline over summer vacation. Meta-analysis results from combining the 13 most recent studies indicate that the summer loss equals about one month on a grade-level equivalent scale. Discusses implications for school calendar changes. Contains 68 references. (SLD)

While a review by S. Graham (1994) found no differences between blacks and whites on measures of need for achievement, this meta-analysis article found reliable and complex race differences. Overall, whites scored higher on measures of need for achievement, although differences nearly disappeared in studies after 1970. Possible explanations are…