MASSACHUSETTS MOVING FORWARD

Gov. Patrick Declares ELT "Central" to the State's Education Improvement Strategy

On Monday, March 12th, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick visited the Matthew J. Kuss Middle School in Fall River. The Governor discussed the redesigned and expanded school day with parents, teachers and students, and he noted that ELT is “a central part” of the state's education improvement strategy.

Governor Patrick was joined at the school by state Rep. Patricia Haddad, co-chair of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Education, Senator Joan Menard, Rep. Robert Correia, Rep. David Sullivan, Rep. Michael Rodrigues, Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert and Fall River Superintendent Nick Fischer.

In Governor Patrick's proposed budget, the Governor doubled the initiative's FY2007 funding, sending a strong signal that ELT is a priority in his education agenda. The Boston Globe praised Governor Patrick's commitment to expanded learning time in this editorial.

With the Legislature's continued support, the Expanded Learning Time Initiative will expand into as many as 10 new schools in the 2007-2008 school year.

Step Inside An ELT School

You can take a peek at what the expanded school day looks like at Jacob Hiatt Elementary School in Worcester by clicking here to watch a short video.

BREAKING NEWS

Survey Shows Parents Overwhelmingly Support Expanded Learning Time

Results of a parent survey released by Massachusetts 2020 show that parents with children in ELT schools overwhelmingly support the redesigned and expanded school day. Highlights from the results include:

• Over 75% of parents believe that the expanded school schedule is much or somewhat better for their child.
• 77% of parents report that their child is performing better in school as a result of the expanded schedule.
• 79% of parents agree (48% strongly agree) that more schools in the state should expand their schedule.

To read a summary of the survey results, click here.

Associated Press: U.S. schools weigh extending their hours

Efforts to expand learning time in other states were featured in a recent Associated Press article that ran in newspapers nationwide. The article focused on ELT schools in Massachusetts and examined the issue of adding more time to the school day on a national level. Lawmakers in Minnesota, Washington DC, New Mexico and New York are all considering expanding the school day and year. Read more in this article on CNN.com.

New York Governor Spitzer Highlights Expanded Learning Time as an Initiative to Consider

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer highlighted expanded learning time as an initiative to consider in his speech on his education priorities. You can read Governor Spitzer's remarks here. In addition, the Times-Herald reported on a day in a school in a Newburgh, NY, a city 60 miles north of Manhattan. The reporter notes that the elementary school students there spend about 4 hours in their 6.5 hour school day engaged in learning in the classroom. Click here to read the article.

Tough Choices or Tough Times Commission Member: ELT an Innovative Solution

Massachusetts Education Commissioner David Driscoll, a member of the Commission of the National Center on Education and the Economy, highlighted expanded learning time as an innovative solution to help students compete in the global economy as part of the release of the Center's recent report Tough Choices or Tough Times. Click here to read Driscoll's Op-ed in the Boston Globe.