Adequacy beyond Dollars: The Productive Use of School Time

the infusion of more dollars into poorly performing school systems often yields disappointing results, as other essays in this volume demonstrate.1 The legal concept of adequacy needs to be broadened to ensure the adequacy not just of inputs but also of outputs. Adequate outputs are what finally count in education. In this chapter I will discuss some of the forces and practices that inhibit good educational outcomes, no matter how much increased spending is used to support schooling. Irrespective of dollars spent, the only way to achieve outcomes that are excellent and equitable is through the productive use of school time. A fundamental difference between a highperforming and a low-performing school is always the degree to which school time is being used productively—through offering

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