Schools across the country are significantly lengthening the school day to address the achievement and opportunity gaps. These schools, also known as expanded learning time schools, reimagine the school day to include more time for student academics, enrichment, and teacher collaboration, professional development, and planning. High-quality expanded learning time schools are thoughtful about their approach to lengthening the school day. These schools avoid the mistake of shaving off a few minutes at random and view a longer day as a way to turnaround low-performing schools. And in many instances, these schools also enlist the support of strong community partners, a critical part of many high-quality expanded learning time schools.
Expanded learning time schools and community partners that form authentic partnerships based on the school’s overall goals, student needs, and constant data analysis, can yield strong outcomes for students while also providing teachers with more time for planning and collaboration. High-quality community partners can provide students with much-needed academic tutoring and enrichment opportunities (e.g. art, music, sports, and field trips). At the same time, these community partners can also free up teachers’ time to focus on lesson planning or professional development, which is important as schools across the country transition to more rigorous college- and career-ready standards.
Please join the Center for American Progress and Citizen Schools for a discussion about the ways in which community partnerships can effectively support schools that want to significantly lengthen the school day.
Opening Remarks:
Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President of Policy, Center for American Progress
Remarks:
Jonathan Brice, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, US Department of Education
Panelists:
Kerri Ayn Seow, Third Grade Teacher, Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School
Megan Bird, Managing Director of Programs, Citizen Schools Massachusetts
Chris Caruso, Senior Vice President of ExpandED Schools
Eric Schwarz, Co-Founder & CEO, Citizen Schools
Moderator:
Jennifer Davis, Co-Founder & President, National Center on Time & Learning