Technical Assistance
Our leadership and staff have extensive experience directly working with state leaders, school districts, and schools to expand learning time. From designing a statewide policy agenda, to working at the district level to negotiate union contracts, to school level efforts to design a newly expanded academic schedule, including adding enrichment programs and building school partnerships, our staff has worked side by side with governors, legislators, district and school administrators, union leaders, parents and teachers to redesign school schedules to meet the needs of the 21st century.
If you are a state or district policy leader and want assistance on public policy, financing and other strategies for developing a successful initiative to add learning time to the school schedule, contact Ben Lummis, or read the Center for American Progress’ case study on the Massachusetts statewide initiative.
If you have a question about how to expand a schedule, visit our ask a principal section to pose your question to a principal with 20 years of experience, who changed his school's schedule and would be happy to answer your questions.
Case Study: Regional Technical Assistance Institutes
Technical Assistance Staff
Tony Caputo
has spent his career finding new ways to engage kids in the classroom, spending 40 years as a principal.
Helenann Civian
has been in education for 20 years. As a former teacher, curriculum coordinator and school leader, she has lead major reform efforts in several districts.
Claire Kaplan
has over fifteen years experience working in the non-profit and public sectors. She is the founder and principal consultant of CEK Strategies, a small consulting company which works with non-profit organizations focused on education, community development and youth programming.
Ben Lummis
leads the public policy effort that has created the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative. In addition, Ben works on the Center's national policy effort that supports developing expanded learning time initiatives at the federal level and in states across the country.
Quote of Note
Last year we applied for a state grant to expand learning time. Your staff devoted countless hours in assisting us in making the long journey from planning to implementation. We now have the largest school in the state to have an extended day. We never would have made it to this point with this initiative without your support and technical assistance. We have applied to expand to two more schools and look forward to again working with you and your great staff members.- Joan Connolly D.Ed.
Superintendent
Malden Public Schools





