Should after-school programs be an extension of the school day?

A survey of 1,200 students released July 27 by the nonprofit youth organization Junior Achievement Worldwide reports that an overwhelming majority of students participating in after-school activities are doing so on school grounds. Though after-school programs are generally praised for keeping kids involved in healthy activities while parents are at work, opinions differ as to how students should be occupied during on-campus, after-school time.

Some policy makers, like those backing the Massachusetts Department of Education's Expanded Learning Time Initiative, suggest that what schools need is an extended school day, where after-school programs can help students hone their academic skills or participate in hands-on learning activities. Others contend that a longer day spent learning may cause academic burnout (and require significant funding) and that extracurricular or unstructured after-school programs are more beneficial to students. How should students' after-school hours be filled? We're interested in your opinion.