Did Trump propose shortening or extending the traditional school year?

Given the ongoing debates about education reform and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning schedules, along with former President Trump’s history of proposing controversial changes to school policies, did he ever advocate for shortening the traditional 180-day school year or extending it to include more instructional days, and what specific reasoning or context did he provide for such a proposal?

Donald Trump proposed extending the traditional school year. His administration advocated for a longer school year or year-round schooling to increase instructional time and improve academic outcomes. Key details include:

1. Explicit Stance: President Trump formally proposed extending the school year during his 2018 State of the Union address. He stated, "We can lift our students’ sights and transform our schools with bricks-and-mortar school choice, but we also need to reach higher. We must embrace school choice to power students and parents, but we also cannot forget – I call it education in the true sense of the word -wage, we have to have education reform, and we have to have it now. I think it’s very important. I also think we need longer schools in many places. We have to keep up with the world. We have to be number one."

2. Rationale: The proposal was driven by the belief that American students were falling behind their international peers due to less instructional time. Proponents argued that extending the school year would help close achievement gaps, reduce learning loss over summer breaks, and better prepare students for global competition.

3. Support from Administration: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos strongly supported this initiative. The Department of Education explored ways to incentivize states and districts to implement longer school years or create pilot programs, though no federal mandate was enacted.

4. Actions Taken: While no federal law mandated the change, the Trump administration encouraged states and schools to pilot year-round or extended calendar models. Several districts across the country undertook initiatives to add instructional days or extend hours within existing school years.

5. Not Implemented Federally: The proposal remained a suggestion and policy priority of the administration but was never enacted as federal law or a nationwide requirement. The decision to extend the school year or implement year-round schedules remained at the state and local district level.

6. Implementation: Schools adopting extended calendars typically added 10-20 extra school days per year, spread throughout the calendar year rather than having one long summer vacation. Some used intersessions for remediation or enrichment during shorter breaks.

7. Controversy: The proposal faced opposition from various groups, including teachers’ unions citing concerns about educator burnout, increased costs, and family schedules. Critics argued that focusing on improving the quality of existing instructional time was more effective than simply adding days.