Many proposed education reforms involve "more," usually more money. One such "more" is to extend the school year. Writing for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Terry Stoops calls it "another non-solution."

Here's a quick way to judge the value of keeping kids longer in the current system: students in the U.S. spend more time per year (roughly equivalent to four weeks) in mathematics instruction than the average nation in the OECD, the group of the wealthy industrial nations. Yet American students score average, or below average in various international tests on math.

Citing the results of a study at Penn State, Stoops says "Do not waste resources in marginal increases in instructional time .... If there is a choice between using resources to increase time versus improving teaching and the curriculum, give priority to the latter." 

You've heard of Garbage In, Garbage Out. Here's an application: If you're not doing things right, doing the same things longer won't help.