Relations between attendance of an all-day school and academic achievement: A systematic review

This study provides a systematic review of research on associations between all-day schools/extended educational offerings and students' academic achievement. It summarizes 22 studies from Germany and 6 studies from Switzerland in the areas school organizational form, general participation in extracurricular activities, homework supervision/learning time, and tutoring. 24 longitudinal studies, three intervention studies, and one study with propensity score matching are regarded. Within the studies, there are partly indications that general participation in extracurricular activities and tutoring are positively associated with academic achievement. In contrast, there are no associations between school organizational form and academic achievement. Homework supervision/learning time is partly negatively associated with academic achievement. Statistical interactions between characteristics of all-day schools/extended educational offerings and students' family background are rarely detected and the directions of the interactions are inconsistent. There is no support for the assumption that all-day schools/extended educational offerings come along with specific advantages for students with unfavorable family background. Based on the reviewed studies, implications for future research on all-day schools and extended educational offerings are drawn.