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4.27.09 - Expand School Hours and You Will Expand Learning

4.22.09 - Alabama Officials Consider Expanded Learning Time

2.27.09 - Education Chief Favors More Time for Learning

1.23.09 - Time Hasn't Been on Their Side

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Teachers Identify Time as the the Most Important Factor Affecting Student Learning  

As the country celebrated National Teacher Day on May 5th, the National Center on Time & Learning, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts and Massachusetts 2020 released a new policy report where over 40,000 teachers identified “time” as the single most important teaching condition for promoting learning. The report also highlights the positive impact the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative (ELT) is having on teachers and students. The ELT Initiative is supporting 26 schools to add over 300 hours to the school schedule.

President Obama Calls for Expanded Learning Time to Help America's Students Compete in the World  

President Obama addressed the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recently and called for Expanded Learning Time to help America's children compete in the world.  President Obama addressed the crowd with the following charge:  "We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed when America was a nation of farmers who needed their children at home plowing the land at the end of each day. That calendar may have once made sense, but today, it puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea. That is no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy. That is why I’m calling for us not only to expand effective after-school programs, but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time – whether during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it...the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom. If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."   

NCTL Toolkit: Helping States Explore ELT 

The National Center on Time & Learning, in partnership with the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, is proud to prelease a comprehensive toolkit designed for policymakers seeking to expand the school day in their states. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick provides the overview in this resources that was sent to the nation’s fifty governors. The guide features data on the impact of more school time, strategies for developing an Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative, reports from the Center for American Progress, and some cost models for expanding time.  The toolkit can be downloaded from the NCTL website here. 

Senator Kennedy Introduces TIME Act

The National Center on Time & Learning praises Senator Kennedy (D-MA), Senator Bingaman (D-NM), and Senator Sanders (I-VT) for their support of the Time for Innovation Matters in Education (TIME) Act that would expand learning time in targeted public schools across the country.  Click here for more information.

Expanded Learning Time Enhanced through Strong Partnerships

The Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Boston works closely with Citizens Schools, one of its community partners, to transform the school day.  Read more here.