ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) - The St. Cloud school district has one of the shortest school days in the state, but now it's looking to add instruction time to jumpstart student achievement.

Superintendent Bruce Watkins tells the St. Cloud Times that adding minutes to the school day could also help tighten a lingering achievement gap between white and minority students.

Watkins says administrators will spend this year looking at school schedules, bus routes and the teacher workday, and might ask teachers in negotiations to extend the working day to add in more time.

State data show St. Cloud students are in school an average of 359 minutes a day for 172 days. It's well below the state average of 393 minutes.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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