Archived: The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

Time Use in Adolescents’ Lives
For adolescents in the United States, school occupies a significant amount of time
during the 9-month academic year, but it often fits into a complex schedule of
athletic events, social life, after-school activities, studying, employment, and family
time. The priority placed on these sometimes competing demands varies widely,
as does access to various opportunities. For many students, school is not only
about classes, but it is also the hub of an active life; school is where they meet
friends and socialize, participate in sports, pursue personal interests through a
variety of activities, try out leadership roles, and express themselves through musi-
cal and theatrical productions. For others, school is the place where they are ex-
pected to be between select hours of the day, but the connection between school
and the wider world, personal life, or future goals may be tenuous.
After-school time may be scheduled with activities and sports, or it may be loosely
structured. Many students manage part-time jobs, often scheduled immediately
after school. Once students arrive home, weekday time seems to revolve around
schoolwork, television, friends, family, and chores. Weekends are typically spent
relaxing with friends and family, catching up on schoolwork, pursuing paid
employment, and engaging in a range of leisure pursuits.

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School
School takes a number of structural forms for U.S. adolescents, particularly during
the middle years. Even within the same city there may be significant variations.
For example, we interviewed some eighth-grade students who were in the middle
year of junior high, other eighth-graders who were in the final year of middle
school, and still others in the final year of elementary school—all within the same
urban community. By 10h grade, however, all students are attending high school.
This does not mean they have a common set of experiences, however, for U.S.
high schools are remarkably disparate in their offerings, and even those students
attending the same school may have vastly different experiences, depending on
their course of study. To speak of ‘‘school’’ for U.S. adolescents, therefore, is to
evoke a multiple, diverse array of experiences and institutions.
One thing that is fairly common across the United States is the length of the re-
quired school day. Most students described a formal school day of 6 to 7 hours.
A fairly typical pattern might be from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with some students
arriving early for federally-subsidized breakfast programs, and many arriving early
or staying late for extracurricular activities and sports. Junior high and high school
students usually have six or more classes a day and move from class to class,
changing teachers each period. Classes typically run about 40 to 50 minutes, with
a brief passing time in between, and a short lunch period (often no more than
20 to 30 minutes). In most cases students are expected to stay in the building
once they arrive and to eat lunch in the school cafeteria, although some schools
permit older students to leave the school during their lunch period.
The class schedule usually remains consistent throughout the week, with students
attending the same classes in the same sequence each day for a term. Individual
schedules often change at the end of the term, as some courses are offered for
the whole academic year and others for only one term. Variations occur in middle
schools and in those elementary schools that house seventh- and eighth-graders
(at those we visited). Generally, students may move from class to class as a group,
changing teachers and subjects together for most classes, perhaps with some vari-
ation for elective courses; in other schools, students may take several classes with
the same teacher. A typical eighth-grade daily schedule appears in table 2.