Expanded Learning Time
Just steps from Bunker Hill, site of one of the earliest battles of the American war for independence, a new revolution is taking place. At the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, Principal Jeff Riley, teachers, students, parents and school partners have declared independence from the traditional school schedule by adding the extra learning time students need to succeed.
At Edwards Middle, where the closing bell had rung at 1:30 p.m. for generations, the school schedule has been significantly expanded and thoroughly redesigned, with children now staying until 4:30. The additional time means more math, English and science, but also additional enrichment programs including arts, drama, chorus, music, apprenticeships, swimming, rock climbing, and much more. Teachers also have more time to collaborate, review student data and to plan their lessons.
The results have been profound. Edwards Middle, once among the worst middle schools in Boston, is now one of the best. Last year, math scores at the school rose across all grades; proficiency rates doubled while failure rates dropped by 35 percent. The percentage of Edwards students scoring proficient on the math section of the Massachusetts assessment test increased at more than double the state and district rates.
Edwards Middle is not alone. It is one of 18 schools across Massachusetts taking part in a new Expanded Learning Time Initiative (ELT). Around the country, thousands of innovative schools (mostly charter institutions) have also added significant time to their school schedules.
These innovative schools offer a richer, more varied school schedule that provides a high quality, well-rounded education to its students. Additional time allows for more hands-on, project-based learning, as well as more one-on-one support. Above all, it gives students more time to master and excel at the core academic subjects. For schools serving underprivileged students, such as Edwards Middle, expanded time offers a powerful potential means of reducing the academic-achievement gap between middle-class white children and minority poor children.
The expanded-time schools in Massachusetts and across the country also bring students closer to the international standard of time spent in school. Indeed, the contrast between the length of the school year in the United States and the rest of the world is stunning. According to data gleaned from an international assessment on math and science, the average school year in the developed world is 191 days, while some Asian nations like Korea, Japan, and Singapore have school years of at least 200 days. Meanwhile, the U.S. average is less than 180 days. A recent study found that more instructional time was associated with significant increases in science scores, and that countries with longer school years (e.g., Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands) tend to score higher on international tests.
One might think that students - and their teachers - would have reservations about a longer school day. In Massachusetts, at least, any such reservations seem to be outweighed by the benefits of this innovation. Teachers and parents from participating schools across the state express significant support for the new schedule. Teachers are compensated for the extra time, and the teachers’ unions support the initiative. Meanwhile, teachers and administrators report that even students are excited about the new school day.
As with any revolution, the shift to a longer school day has been a long time coming. Over the past 25 years, scholars and educators alike have argued for a redesigned school schedule that meets the needs of a modern society. However, as federal and state governments began to demand higher academic standards, no changes were made to the traditional school schedule.
The result has been a narrowed curriculum in schools across the country. A recent report from the Center on Education Policy stated that “[a]s the majority of school districts spend more time on reading and math, 44% of districts reported cutting time … in science, social studies, art and music, physical education, lunch, and recess.”
Many observers point out that our society does not-and should not-have to choose between high academic standards and a well-rounded education. For the latest edition of his book The World is Flat, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman added a section on why liberal arts are more important than ever. In a recent interview he said, “It’s not that I don’t think math and science are important. They still are. But more than ever our secret sauce comes from our ability to integrate arts, science, music and literature with the hard sciences. That’s what produces an iPod revolution or a Google.”
More than a few business leaders concur, and they have given their support to expanded schedules because they want to see more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), subjects that are vital to ensuring that young Americans are competitive with their international counterparts in today’s global economy. An expanded school day makes this possible.
This reform is not easily categorized as liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican. Simply put, it works-and it’s getting a serious look from education policymakers at the state and federal levels. State and local governments have long been laboratories of sensible education reform, and several jurisdictions have taken steps toward expanded learning. Delaware, Oklahoma and Alabama are among the states exploring expanded-time initiatives. Municipalities in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana have taken similar steps at the local level.
In Congress, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Representative George Miller (D-Calif.) have committed to including funding for expanded learning time in the re-authorization of the federal No Child Left Behind law. Under the federal program, competitive five-year grants would be available to fund expanded-time initiatives in states and local districts.
This is important progress, but like all revolutions it must reach a tipping point, where a new paradigm replaces the old regime. We’re not there yet. State budget shortfalls are putting new, results-oriented initiatives on hold. On the presidential campaign trail, education reforms have yet to gain notice as a vital issue.
The solution for those of us who care about such reforms is to push ahead and work toward providing all students with an education that prepares them for a successful life. Across the country, parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers are increasingly open to expanding the school day in order to deliver that education for children. These revolutionaries are hoping that the 4:30 school bell will be a shot heard round the world.