Expanded Learning Time:
Enabling Higher Achievement and Broader
Opportunities for Children
2009 Chicago Schools Policy Luncheon Series
2
We are at a Critical Juncture in the Movement to
Expand Learning Time
“We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed when America was a nation of
farmers… That calendar may have once made sense, but today, it puts us at a competitive
disadvantage.”
- President Barack Obama, March 9, 2009

“Time” now at the forefront of education reform dialogue
 Charter schools, the Massachusetts ELT Initiative and high-performing afterschool programs show the value of more time for learning

Education leaders highly focused on 4 core concerns - all 4 underscore the need
for more learning time:
 The unrelenting achievement gap
 Trend toward the narrowing of the curriculum (arts, physical education,
social studies and other important programs and subjects cut)
 The need to enhance teacher quality
 International competiveness
“I think our school day is too short, our week is too short, our year is too short.”
- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, January 2009 Senate Confirmation Hearing
3
Why More School Time is Needed:
Persistent Achievement Gap
NAEP Scores of 8th Graders in Math
Low income vs. Non low income
Proficient Level: 299
310
290
277
283
287
288
291
294
270
250
250
253
259
262
265
266
2007
2009
230
1996
2000
2003
Non-Low Income
2005
Low Income
4
Why More School Time is Needed:
Narrowing Curriculum
• As schools work to meet the benchmarks established by NCLB, they have
increased time for English Language Arts and Math at the expense of other
subjects.
• Time spent on science, social
studies, art, music and PE
has been cut by one-third
since the start of NCLB.
Percentage of Time Spent in Various Subjects in
Elementary Schools
12%
17%
10%
Recess
12%
21%
• In today’s knowledge-based
economy that values
problem-solving, teamwork
and communications, our
students need more
exposure, not less exposure,
to these subjects.
Art, Music, and PE
30%
58%
41%
Pre-NCLB
Science & Social
Studies
ELA & Math
NCLB
Source: Center on Education Policy, Feb. 2008
5
Why More School Time is Needed:
Illinois Educators Report Needing More Time
Do you have sufficient time to
meet the needs of students?
Do you have sufficient time to collaborate
with colleagues?
60%
69%
27%
Agree
Disagree
34%
4%
Neither Agree/Disagree
Agree
Disagree
6%
Neither Agree/Disagree
Note: The Illinois Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey is a survey released by a collection of stakeholder groups
representing teachers, superintendents, communities and business groups. The stakeholders worked collectively
with the New Teacher Center to conduct this survey of responses from 3,000 educators in 16 districts.
6
Three of the Most Successful Charter School Networks in the
U.S. Consider “More Time” a Core Design Element
• Uncommon Schools
11 Schools serving 10,000 lowincome students in NY and NJ (e.g.
North Star Academy, Newark)
Massachusetts ELT Schools
22 schools in MA serving more than
12,000 students
1800
Per Year
1685
Hours
1600
Per
Year
1600
1560
1400
1400
1170
1200
1000
800
nc
K
IP
om
P
m
on
Sc
A
ho
ch
ol
ie
s
ve
m
en
M
tF
as
irs
s.
t
Tr
EL
ad
T
iti
Sc
on
ho
al
ol
Pu
s
bl
ic
Sc
ho
ol
s
• Achievement First
15 Schools serving 3,700 students in
CT and NY (e.g. Amistad Academy,
New Haven)
Comparison of School Time
U
• KIPP Academy
66 Schools in 19 states serving
16,000 students
7
Enabling a High Achievement,
Well-Rounded Education
Achieve
Proficiency
A school calendar of
180, 6½-hour days is
not enough time to:
(ELA, math,
science, and all
core subjects)
Support
Teachers to
Improve
Instruction
Go Beyond the
Basics
(21st century skills,
apprenticeships, arts,
music, physical ed.,
mentors, youth
development)
8
Massachusetts
Expanded Learning Time Initiative:
First State Policy Initiative To Redesign School
Schedules Adding At Least 300 Hours For All
Students In Participating Schools
Launched in 2005
9
Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative
Partnership between Massachusetts 2020 and Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, with the
support of the Governor and the Legislature.
2009 - 2010
Schools
22
Districts
11
Students
12,000
Elem/K-8/Middle/ HS
9/4/8/1
State Funding
$15.6 million
30 additional schools have submitted ELT redesign proposals to the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.
10
Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative
 Voluntary school participation; priority given to low income & low
performance
 Whole school redesign; inclusive year-long data-driven planning process
with technical assistance
 Balanced approach to added time:
 Core academics
 Enrichment opportunities (often provided by community partners)
 Teacher planning and professional development
 Teacher’s agreement negotiated locally
 State funds 13% ($1,300) more per pupil for 30% (300 hours); school
selection is competitive
 Full-scale, multi-year evaluation and Knowledge Capture strategy
11
Promising Results
12
Over the past year, ELT schools gained in proficiency at double the rate of the state
in ELA and Math and gained at nearly five times the state in Science
CHANGE in Percent of Students Achieving Proficiency: 2008 to 2009
ELT Schools (All Grades) vs. State
n=25*
6
By Subject
4.9
4.8
4
2.6
1.8
2
1.0
0.8
0
ELA
Math
State
Science
ELT Schools
13
* Viveiros Elementary School (Fall River) opened in 2009 and, thus, is excluded from the analysis.
Over the last three years, six of the seven ELT schools serving middle grades narrowed the
achievement gap with the state in math, four narrowed the gap in ELA with one school now
exceeding the state
MATH
100%
Gap Narrowing
GAP CLOSED
Gap Widening
-150%
Gap Widening
100%
Gap Narrowing
ELA
150%
GAP CLOSED
-100%
14
More than 150 organizations partner with ELT schools
to broaden opportunities for Massachusetts students
15
How Teachers Perceive Impact of
Expanded Learning Time
Higher percentages of teachers in Expanded Learning Time schools believe they have sufficient
time to complete the curriculum and meet the needs of all students compared to teachers
in traditional schools.
Percent of Teachers Agreeing
55
45
51
50
34
State
36
ELT Teachers
35
25
Adequate time to complete the curriculum
Source: MassTeLLS, 2009
Adequate time to meet the needs of all students
(p<.001)
Note: The Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey: Creating Conditions Where Teachers Stay and
Teachers Thrive was released on February 24, 2009 to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The
MassTells is a coalition of stakeholder groups representing teachers, superintendents, community and business
groups.
16
Parents See the Benefits of ELT
Do you think having a longer school day is helping your
child improve how they’re doing in school?
Do you agree that there should be more schools in
Massachusetts with a longer day?
79%
77%
22%
18%
3%
A Lot of/Some Improvement
No Difference
How has the new schedule impacted the
quality of your child’s education?
Disagree
16%
54%
22%
Much/Somewhat Worse
No Change
No Answer
How has the new school schedule impacted
your child’s interest in school?
5%
72%
Much/Somewhat Better
Agree
Much/Somewhat Better
30%
Much/Somewhat Worse
No Change
17
Survey conducted by JEF Associates, Inc., Feb. 2007
Case Study
Edwards Middle School, Boston MA
A look at how one school used Expanded Learning Time
to significantly close the achievement and
opportunity gaps for its students
18
Edwards Middle School
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2006
2002
School has lowest
math MCAS scores
in Boston
2003-05
Edwards becomes ELT
School
New principal hired
Dwindling
enrollment
numbers
Adopts explicit focus on
math (expands time for
math, adjusts curriculum,
hires coaches)
Considered for
closing
Scores and enrollment
continue to be low
Demographics
Grades served: 6-8
Number of students: 377
School Demographics:
% Special Ed – 32.1
% Limited English – 23.6
% Low Income – 89.4
19
Edwards Middle School ELT Program
Academics


Additional 1 hour academic
block 4 days a week in addition
to existing core classes
Started by focusing “extra block”
only on Math–- in 2007
expanded to ELA, Science and
Social Studies

Students strategically placed in
different classes based on
assessment data

Strongest teachers work with
the weakest students

Teachers work with coaches to
develop curriculum for this class
based on student assessment
data (MPSP data: every 7 weeks)
Enrichment


Extra 6 hrs per week for
teacher and partner-led
electives (art, music, sports,
technology, leadership, etc.)
Teacher Planning &
Professional
Development

Early release for
students on Fridays
allows extra 2 hrs for
teacher common
planning

Use of additional
collaboration time for
continuous focus on
data and model lessons
Strong partnerships with
several community-based
organizations

Entire 6th grade (190
students) participates in
Citizen Schools
apprenticeship program

Other partners include:
Boston Ballet, Bird Street
Community Center,
Harvard University, and
Boston Partners in
Education
20
Closing the Achievement Gap at the Edwards
Middle School
In ELA and Science, 8th grade students
have dramatically narrowed the
achievement gap with the state
In Math, 8th grade students now have
overtaken the state in the percent of
students achieving proficiency
ELA
74%
75%
75%
78%
MATH
71%
56%
49%
40%
54%
48%
45%
40%
48%
36%
2006
2007
2008
2009
SCIENCE
12%
22%
32%
2006
2007
Grade 8 - Edwards
2008
2009
Grade 8 - State
33%
39%
39%
27%
11%
3%
2006
6%
2007
Grade 8 - Edwards
2008
2009
Grade 8 - State
21
Launched in 2007
22
Our Mission
The National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) is dedicated
to expanding learning time to improve student achievement
and enable a well-rounded education, with an emphasis on
underserved children.
Through research, public policy and technical assistance,
we support initiatives that add more school time for
academic and enrichment opportunities to help all children
meet the demands of the 21st Century.
23
National Momentum: Policymakers across the country are
exploring strategies to add more time for learning
In all, leaders in 30 states have expressed interest in launching ELT Initiatives.
24
Obama Administration Encourages Use of
ARRA Funds to Expand Learning Time

NCTL is supporting states around the use of ARRA resources to
launch ELT Initiatives; USED ARRA guidelines encourage ELT for
struggling schools:




Race to the Top (preliminary guidelines released July 27th) $4.35 billion
School Improvement Grants (preliminary guidelines released
August 26th) - $3.45 billion (IL = $124+ million in March)
Local Innovation Fund (preliminary guidelines released
October 6th) - $650 million
Future Federal Policy Opportunities to Expand ELT Initiatives:
 TIME Act
 ESEA Reauthorization
25
Thank You
For more information contact:
Jennifer Davis, President & CEO:
jennifer@timeandlearning.org
To learn more about our work, visit us at:
www.timeandlearning.org
www.mass2020.org
26