Blog

recent story out of New Haven, CT has been making the rounds in the education reform world. The tale is of one school’s effort to expand learning time and how that attempt failed to meet expectations.  Here’s the story in brief, as reported by Melissa Bailey of the Hechinger Report:

Earlier this month, Governor Patrick signed the MA state's FY2015 $36.5 billion budget. As with every year, there are many competing priorities and we are grateful that the budget includes a $500,000 increase for the MA Expanded Learning Time Initiative, bringing the funding for the Initiative up to $14.6M. 

Today’s blog is written by summer intern, Jeanie Mai.

Every child should be given an expanded learning time (ELT) education, but most don’t have that opportunity. Fortunately, I lived in an area where an ELT school had just opened up, and conveniently, in the grade I was entering. 

Today's post is written by Antonio Parés.

The momentum behind expanded learning time to improve student achievement continues to grow. Learning time is a resource that education leaders across the country are eager to maximize for students from high-poverty communities.  Unfortunately, we often believe, and it’s often the case that more time involves a tradeoff, and in the education sector that tradeoff is money.

This morning, NCTL co-founder and president Jennifer Davis discussed the announcement of the Extended Learning Grant in Utica, NY on Utica’s WIBX radio.

We are pleased to welcome Guilmette Middle School in Lawrence and Boston's Young Achievers K-8 Pilot School and Dever Elementary School to the MA Expanded Learning Time Initiative. 

Today's blog is written by our summer intern, Abby Cobb, who is heading into her junior year at Yale University. 

Dear Skeptical Students,
At the end of my spring semester, I couldn’t wait for summer and the start of my internship with NCTL, a welcome reprieve from lectures and midterms.

Making Every Minute Count is an essential element of effective expanded learning time schools.  When coupled with other essentials such as time for teachers to collaborate and a positive school culture exciting things happen for students. See for yourself in these three video clips from a Palo Alto, CA third grade classroom as featured on the Teaching Channel.

“We congratulate the nine school districts across New York state that have been awarded the state’s Extended Learning Time Grant. For students, particularly in our neediest communities, the current school calendar of 180 six-and-a-half-hour days is simply not enough, and these schools are taking an important step forward by designing a modern school schedule. 

This past Friday was Summer Learning Day, a national advocacy day recognized to spread awareness about the importance of summer learning for our nation’s youth in helping close the achievement gap and support healthy development in communities all across the country.

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