Research Insights: How Do Longer School Days Affect Students' Economic Well-Being in Adulthood?

Many Latin American countries and cities have substantially lengthened the school day over the past generation. Chile, for example, increased the school day by 30 percent between 1997 and 2010. While evidence on lengthening these additional instructional resources points to positive effects in the short term, we know little about whether these reforms affect students long-term economic outcomes once they enter the labor market. This project finds longer elementary and secondary school days substantially improve economic well-being by increasing educational attainment, delaying childbearing, and increasing earnings in young adulthood.