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The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.

HFRP News

RI school looks to make strides with Saturday class (WRNI, 5/27/10)

May 28, 2010

Rhode Island’s NPR affiliate, WRNI, recently interviewed HFRP Associate Director Priscilla Little to discuss extended learning in the form of “Saturday schools.” The story highlights a program at West Warwick, Rhode Island’s Horgan Elementary School which provides additional instruction on Saturdays for students who are falling behind.

Excerpt from the article:

But it's hard to say whether Saturday school is paying off enough. Teachers say students who do it make improvements. In the most recent round of state testing, 69 percent of Horgan students were proficient in reading, an increase of 10 percent since 1997. But that's still slightly below the state average. And Math scores have remained flat, hovering just over 50 percent. "Time doesn't equate to better performance, it's what you do with that time," says Priscilla Little, associate director of the Harvard Family Research Project. She says more time in class won't necessarily produce achievement gains—that depends on how the time is used. And she says it may be a mistake to lose some aspects of traditional afterschool programs, like extra time for the arts and special projects and sports.

But it's hard to say whether Saturday school is paying off enough. Teachers say students who do it make improvements. In the most recent round of state testing, 69 percent of Horgan students were proficient in reading, an increase of 10 percent since 1997. But that's still slightly below the state average. And Math scores have remained flat, hovering just over 50 percent.

"Time doesn't equate to better performance, it's what you do with that time," says Priscilla Little, associate director of the Harvard Family Research Project. She says more time in class won't necessarily produce achievement gains—that depends on how the time is used. And she says it may be a mistake to lose some aspects of traditional afterschool programs, like extra time for the arts and special projects and sports.

Click here to listen or read a transcript of the story.