Because of a rising standard of living in Cambridge, says Harshbarger, more and more students come from families in which both parents work, making programs like these essential.

These extended-day programs would be most consequential at the middle school level, "a time when you can identify what children are beginning to be good at," he says.

"If they're not excelling academically...they will become more confident in themselves because of their extended-day achievements, and their academic performance will be better," Harshbarger adds.

In addition to programmatic changes, Miller says she wants schools to do a better job of teaching study skills.

"I have to sit down with my kids and tell them what they need to do, say 'This is how you study for a test,' and 'This is how you write a paper,' " she says.

To help public schools combat the problem of scarce resources and measure up to their private competitors, Harshbarger suggests that they interact more with the intellectual community that surrounds them.

"We live in a city which is rich with college and university life," he says. "We need to make sure parents know we're taking full advantage of that."