Boston – January 9, 2008 – Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Mayor Thomas M. Menino today visited the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood to celebrate the successes of the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative – the first in the nation state initiative to redesign schools with substantially more time for learning – and to discuss a national expansion of the Initiative through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson welcomed the visitors alongside Edwards Principal Jeffrey Riley.

Senator Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and his counterpart in the House, Rep. George Miller, will work to include a pilot to expand learning time in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. The Senate is expected to address ESEA in the coming months. In addition, Rep. Donald M. Payne has introduced a bill to provide federal incentives for the planning and implementation of expanded learning initiatives nationwide.

“There are few more promising strategies for helping all children get ahead in today's global economy than expanding learning time,” Senator Kennedy said. “It gives students the time not only to master the basics, but also to expand their horizons through art, music, physical education and other activities. It gives teachers additional time for collaboration and planning to improve instruction. The early results of the Expanded Learning Time Initiative here in Massachusetts are impressive and show real promise in preparing all children for a lifetime of success. I believe what we're doing with expanded learning here in Massachusetts is a model for the nation.”

Senator Kennedy recently secured $175,000 in federal funding for Massachusetts 2020, the non-profit organization assisting schools in the design and implementation of the Expanded Learning Time Initiative. The grant will directly support technical assistance to ELT schools and districts throughout Massachusetts.

“After only one year, the Expanded Learning Time Initiative is yielding promising results in student academic performance,” said Chris Gabrieli, Chairman of Massachusetts 2020. “The ELT Initiative is growing rapidly in Massachusetts, and it is poised to become a model for national replication. Massachusetts 2020 is grateful for the support of Senator Kennedy, the Governor and Legislative leadership, local leaders like Mayor Menino, and all those who are making great strides toward improving education for our children.”

The Clarence R. Edwards Middle School implemented the ELT Initiative in September 2006. The redesigned school day allows more time for innovative academics and includes a wide range of enrichment activities, from which students may choose. As a result of ELT, the academic gains at the Edwards School have been impressive. Once an underperforming school by state standards, the Edwards School is now one of the higher performing middle schools in Boston.

In addition to regular math classes, students at the Edwards School now participate in Math Leagues, a competitive and socially engaging way to learn and practice math. As a result, math scores rose across all grades. The Edwards School increased the percentage of students scoring proficient on the math MCAS at more than twice the rate of the district and also of the state.

The Edwards is one of four Boston Public Schools to implement the ELT Initiative. The other three schools – the Mario Umana Middle School Academy in East Boston, the James P. Timility Middle School in Roxbury, and the Boston Arts Academy in the Fenway – are experiencing similar results.

“Boston is committed to expanding and strengthening learning opportunities available to our children,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “The Boston School Committee, Superintendent Johnson and I see Expanded Learning Time as a key part of a strategy to ensure that children receive a well-rounded education that not only prepares them for success in college and the workforce, but for a healthy, fulfilled life.”

The implementation of the Expanded Learning Time Initiative is the result of a unique public-private partnership between Massachusetts 2020 and the Massachusetts Department of Education. The ELT Initiative now includes 18 schools, with more than 9,000 students. More than 75 schools are currently developing plans to implement ELT over the next two years.

For more information about Expanded Learning Time, please visit: www.mass2020.org.

First Year of The Expanded Learning Time Initiative Demonstrates Promising MCAS Results, Teacher and Parent Satisfaction

Data Released at Third Annual Expanded Learning Time Summit Featuring Remarks from Governor Deval Patrick and Former Colorado Governor Roy Romer

Boston – After the first year of the Expanded Learning Time Initiative in Massachusetts, parents, teachers and MCAS scores indicate promising results for this innovative educational reform. The data was released today at the 3rd Annual ELT Summit hosted by Massachusetts 2020 and the Massachusetts Department of Education.

In the 2006-2007 school year, ten schools in five districts across the state, enrolling 4,700 students, redesigned their school day, increasing the school schedule by at least 300 hours. Early results show that across all three subject areas, students in ELT schools achieved greater gains in proficiency on MCAS as compared to students in these schools in previous years: the ELT student proficiency rate grew 44% in math, 39% in ELA, and 19% in science. ELT schools also increased the percentage of students at or above proficiency in ELA by 10.8%, while the state only increased by 3.5%. Additionally, 6 out of 10 ELT schools made AYP in Math, a 100% increase from the previous year and there was a 40% increase in ELT schools making AYP in English.

Parents and teachers are also very satisfied with ELT. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of parents and 70% of teachers say that expanded learning time has had a positive impact on their students according to surveys of parents at three randomly selected ELT schools and teachers at all 10 ELT schools. Seventy-two percent (72%) of parents indicated that ELT has improved the quality of their children’s education and 65% of teachers said that ELT has allowed them to incorporate experiential learning into the school day.

“We have good reasons to celebrate not only the goals and objectives of expanded learning time, but the results as well,” Governor Patrick said in taped remarks to the ELT Summit.

Over 500 school and district leaders, teachers, school committee members, union leaders, community-based organizations and policymakers from Massachusetts and from around the country attended the ELT Summit, held at UMass Boston, to explore and analyze the key issues related to creating ELT schools. Other featured speakers at the conference included Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria, Governor Patrick’s Special Advisor for Education, former Colorado Governor Roy Romer, Chairman of the Strong American Schools Campaign, Jeffrey Nellhaus, acting Massachusetts Commissioner of Education and Paul Reville, Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education.

“On average, students in other industrialized countries spend 193 days annually in school, compared with only 180 in the U.S. Over 12 years, this deficit translates into a gap of nearly one full school year,” said Governor Romer. “We need the nation to embrace expanded learning time initiatives so that schools can go more in depth into subjects that are critical for 21st century jobs.”

The implementation of the Expanded Learning Time Initiative is the result of a unique public-private partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Education and Massachusetts 2020. All 10 pioneering schools in the first year of ELT renewed their commitment to the initiative and signed on for a second consecutive year and four out of the five pioneering districts expanded the ELT initiative to additional schools. And now, through a $13 million investment by the Massachusetts Legislature and Governor Deval Patrick, nine more schools have implemented Expanded Learning Time in the 2007-2008 school year and more than 30 schools are planning for ELT in 2008.

“The members of the House of Representatives have been enthusiastic supporters of this bold first step to increase the time our children are learning,” said House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. “We have been impressed by the effort to carefully monitor and document the success of this initiative and the preliminary results are encouraging. Under the leadership of Chairwoman Haddad, we will continue to closely monitor this important experiment and look forward to receiving more encouraging news from the schools that are participating.”

The survey results and MCAS data were released as part of the first Expanded Learning Time Initiative Annual Report, which Massachusetts 2020 released today at the ELT Summit. The Annual Report reviews the experience of the pioneering schools, highlights these early indicators of success, and showcases what the new school day looks and feels like. Click here to read the Expanded Learning Time Initiative 2006-2007 Annual Report.

“After just one year, the ELT Initiative is already yielding promising results in student performance,” said Chris Gabrieli, Chairman of Massachusetts 2020. “As a result, this first in the nation effort to redesign schools with substantially more time for learning is growing rapidly in Massachusetts and is poised to become a model for national replication.”

About Massachusetts 2020
Massachusetts 2020 is an education non-profit based in Boston, Massachusetts with a mission to expand educational and economic opportunities for children and families across Massachusetts. The organization is leading the Expanded Learning Time Initiative with the Massachusetts Department of Education, and with the support of the state legislature, working directly with superintendents, teachers, parents, community organization partners, and unions to help reshape the American school calendar. Launched in 2005, the vision of the initiative is to equip all students with the skills, knowledge and leadership abilities required for full participation in the economic and civic life of our 21st century global society.

Boston – Massachusetts 2020, a Boston-based nonprofit organization committed to expanding educational and economic opportunities for children and families across the Commonwealth, announced today that The Boston Foundation has made a grant of $60,000 to support the evaluation of the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative.

“The support of The Boston Foundation is critical to carrying out a rigorous evaluation of this innovative school reform initiative while also continuously refining the model as it expands to other districts and schools across the Commonwealth,” said Jennifer Davis, President of Massachusetts 2020.

Massachusetts 2020 has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Education to lead the Expanded Learning Time Initiative, a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to redesign and expand the traditional public school schedule in order to increase student achievement. Ten schools in five districts, serving 4,700 school children, launched their redesigned schools in September, 2006 with schedules that include at least 30 percent more time for core academics, enrichment, teacher professional development and common planning time. There are an additional seven schools in five districts planning to expand their schedules in September 2007 and more than 75 schools in 27 districts working toward potential implementation in September 2008.

"Expanded learning time isn't just about adding more minutes to the day; it's about rethinking how we use our time in the classroom and doing more to ensure that students are engaged in their learning," said Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. "Students in schools that implement this properly learn more and achieve more, it's as simple as that."

Massachusetts 2020 was founded in 2000 by Chris Gabrieli, a civic and business entrepreneur, and Jennifer Davis, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and Executive Director of the Mayor of Boston’s 2:00-to-6:00 After-School Initiative. It operates as an “action tank” to drive public policy, research, and technical assistance to expand learning opportunities for children across Massachusetts.

The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations, has an endowment of close to $770 million. Last year, The Boston Foundation made grants of $63.9 million to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of $73.6 million. The Boston Foundation is made up of more than 850 separate charitable funds, which have been established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Boston Foundation also serves as a civic leader, convener, and sponsor of special initiatives designed to build community.

Massachusetts Dramatically Increases Commitment to Expanded Learning Time for Public School Students

- 29 School Districts Receive Grants to Explore Increasing Academics and Enrichment Opportunities -

Boston – The Massachusetts Department of Education dramatically expanded the state’s initiative to reinvent the school schedule yesterday in awarding $324,000 in planning grants to 29 public school districts. These districts will spend up to one year exploring options for increasing academic and enrichment time by at least 25 percent. Massachusetts remains the only state in the nation to fund the redesign of the traditional school calendar in multiple districts. Massachusetts ELT efforts, spearheaded by the Department of Education and education non-profit Massachusetts 2020, began in force last year with the first ever allocation of planning grants; the effort has so far resulted in 10 schools expanding the school day for all students by more than 25 percent this fall.

“Providing our students with additional learning time is one of the greatest commitments we can make to their academic success. When students have more time to learn, they are more likely to become proficient in math and English and master skills that will help them succeed in today’s complex global society,” said Jennifer Davis, president of Massachusetts 2020, the organization assisting schools in planning for and implementing a new school day. “In addition, more time for arts, music and physical education engages students, motivates them and encourages them to stay in school.”

This class of 29 planning districts will have as much as a year and a half to investigate how they will expand the school day and/or year and decide whether or not a new schedule is right for their students, teachers and families. Participating schools will be required to design a new day that increases learning time by at least 25 percent, the equivalent of more than 90 minutes per day. School can also consider a longer school year; last year, most districts decided to expand the day rather than the year. The additional time must be dedicated to academic studies and enrichment programming and also include more planning and professional development time for teachers.

“This is an exciting initiative, and calls for districts to rethink everything from how they organize their school day to teaching practices to how they can better engage each student in their learning,” said Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. “This presents a tremendous – and worthwhile - challenge for any district. I look forward to seeing the results in each school.”

In the same Department of Education meeting yesterday where ELT planning grants were announced, the DOE board voted to raise the passing score high school students must achieve on MCAS math and English Language Arts tests.

“We expect more and more from our students today, and that is powerful and positive message to send to them. However, we cannot expect them to achieve more if they don't have the learning time necessary to succeed,” Representative Patricia Haddad, the co-chair of the Committee on Education in the state legislature. “The selection of 29 planning districts signals the significant role expanded learning time must have in our efforts to improve our schools and provide the best opportunities for our public school students.”

The expansion of the school day has received bipartisan support in Massachusetts and has been heralded by several gubernatorial candidates.

Thirty-six districts applied for this year’s planning grants, up from 21 districts last year.

Now more than 10 percent of all public school districts in Massachusetts have expressed interest in expanding their school schedule by up to two hours per day. The 29 districts awarded planning grants come from across the Commonwealth, including from Pittsfield and Adams to Boston, Methuen, and Barnstable. Other districts include New Bedford, Northampton, Southbridge, Taunton, Framingham and Brockton. Three districts – Boston, Malden and Worcester – are currently implementing an expanded day in some district schools and received new planning grants to explore increasing the number of schools following a lengthened day.

The 10 schools currently implementing a new day have utilized the additional time to improve student achievement and engage students in enrichment programming that was not provided until now. Some schools have increased the length of class periods for math and English Language Arts classes by nearly an hour per day so that students can participate in engaging hands-on projects that help them apply new skills in real-life situations. One school created competitive math leagues to help students with their math skills. Other schools have combined academics and enrichment in classes such as Mandarin Chinese, filmmaking, dance, girls’ health, nutrition, apprenticeships and musical theater.

Planning grant districts will convene teams of teachers, parents, students and administrators to investigate the best strategies for expanding the school schedule in their district. Districts will hold public meetings, seek the input of community stakeholders, and decide if an expanded schedule is a viable option for their students, teachers, and families.

Receipt of a planning grant does not guarantee a school or district will implement an expanded school day. Districts that receive approval of their implementation plan by the DOE must also reach an agreement on a new schedule with the local teacher’s union. Approved districts will open their redesigned schools in September 2007 or 2008, pending state allocation in the FY2007 and FY2008 budgets and the preference of the district and the schools.

The need to expand the time students have for learning is the result of several factors. Schools in the United States have raised educational expectations for students without giving them more time to achieve them. The current school schedule was designed for agrarian families in the early 20th century, not for the complex and global economy of the 21st century. In addition, mandatory testing in math and English has aggressively eaten away at the time once dedicated to arts, enrichment, physical education, even science and social studies.

Currently, Massachusetts lags behind most industrialized countries – including Turkey, Hungary, and Mexico – in instructional hours per week and total learning hours per year. In China, all students have 30 percent more time to learn than U.S. students currently have.

“This is one of the most meaningful education reform efforts happening in the country,” said Chris Gabrieli, chairman of Massachusetts 2020. “We are extremely excited to welcome a new class of 29 districts. These parents, teachers and administrators will build on the innovations of our current ELT schools and continue to set new standards for public education in Massachusetts and the country.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2006

Media Contacts:
Brooke Tyson Hynes, 617-646-1023
Wesley Eberle, 617-646-1026

Massachusetts First in the Nation to Expand School Day in Multiple Districts

5 Districts, 10 Schools To Expand Days Beginning in September, Will Add Enrichment Programs and Academic Time

Boston – Ten schools in five Massachusetts districts will expand their school day by at least 30 percent this September. With this announcement, Massachusetts becomes the first state in the nation to spearhead a multi-district effort to expand the school day in order to improve student academic performance and reintroduce enrichment programs that have been stripped from the school day. Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education and the state is once again leading the nation with new and innovative public education solutions.

Spearheaded by Massachusetts 2020, The Expanded Learning Time Initiative was included in the state’s 2007 fiscal year budget at $6.5 million. More than 4,700 students from grades pre-K-8 in 10 elementary and middle schools in Boston, Cambridge, Fall River, Malden and Worcester will benefit from the new school day. Schools will provide additional time for core academics, enrichment programs as well as professional development opportunities for teachers.

“These schools have worked extremely hard over the last year to develop engaging and creative plans to expand their school day and expand the learning opportunities available to their students,” said Jennifer Davis, Co-Founder of Massachusetts 2020, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding educational and economic opportunities for children and families across Massachusetts. “Expanding the school day is not just about more time but about rethinking the day to create an inviting educational environment where students are excited about learning. This is a very important and exciting time in education. We look forward to helping these schools excel.”

The standards for students have been aggressively raised over recent years, yet students have not been provided the additional time needed to reach them. Mandatory testing in subjects such as math and English/Language Arts have forced many schools to significantly reduce the time dedicated to arts, music and physical education and often decrease time in other core subjects such as science and social studies.

“The educational achievement gap will never be closed within the confines of the traditional school day,” Davis said. “The school calendar used in most U.S. schools today is a relic created for the agrarian culture of the 19th century – not the competitive global economy of the 21st century. Students must be provided with the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to compete with their counterparts across the globe.”

Currently, Massachusetts lags behind most industrialized countries – including Turkey, Hungary, and

Mexico

– in instructional hours per week and total learning hours per year. In China, all students have 30 percent more time to learn than

U.S.

students currently have.

In addition to significantly increasing the amount of student time dedicated to academic study and enrichment, an expanded school day will provide teachers with a significant increase in collaborative professional development time so they can plan lessons together, develop higher quality curriculum, and review data in order to more effectively improve learning.

“These districts are undertaking the enormous challenge of completely redesigning the school day,” said Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll. “To do this right they will have to not just add time to the school day, but rethink their teaching practices, curricula and what they can do to better engage each child in their learning. This is an exciting initiative and I look forward to seeing the results in each school.”

Teachers and principals involved in the planning process expressed their enthusiasm over having additional time in core academics as well as having the time to teach creatively and involve their students in hands-on and experiential learning programs.

In Malden’s Salemwood School, math classes will increase from 50 minute blocks to 90 minute blocks and English/Language Arts time will expand from 90 minutes to 120 minutes in order to offer more project-based learning and incorporate new and creative teaching methods. The Salemwood School will also add a new Academic and Creative Enrichment (ACE) program to their day, allowing students to explore areas of passion and interest. Students will choose between elective classes such as community service, debate, drama, media production, newspaper, sign language, book club and more.

The Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Boston will create a math league with small teams of students. Teams will practice together and compete against other teams to demonstrate their newly acquired skills. The Edwards Middle School will also provide two hours every day for students to focus on their individual interests through innovative electives such as a sports and writing program, musical theater or dance, community service and apprenticeship programs.

Schools in all five districts have also entered into innovative community partnerships to help support the new expanded school day and bring a wealth of community-based enrichment activities into the school.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2005

Contact: Joe Ganley
617-290-3868 (Mobile)

Extended Time Schools: Lessons Learned

New report highlights lessons and impact of longer school day

Worcester—Massachusetts 2020 today released a new report on the impact and lessons learned from schools operating on a longer school schedule. The report, Time for a Change: The Promise of Extended Time-Schools for Promoting School Achievement, contains case studies of eight public schools that operate on a significantly longer schedule than the traditional 180, six-hour days.

The study was released at a day-long conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, and Massachusetts 2020 in Worcester, where representatives of fifteen school districts from across Massachusetts were gathered to explore expanding their school schedules. The fifteen districts have been awarded planning grants from the state to plant to extend their school schedule beginning in school year 2006 – 2007.

“We continue to believe that the expansion of the school calendar is a necessary component of the larger education reform agenda”, said Chris Gabrieli, Chairman of Massachusetts 2020. “This study only strengthens that view. It shows that it is possible to design a school schedule that gives kids the time they need to learn what we expect them to learn.”

“This study represents the first of its kind analysis of specific schools that have deliberately broken from the school schedule,” said Dr. David Farbman Ph.D., co-author of the report, which was funded by the L.G. Balfour Foundation. “As interest turns to reforming the school calendar, this study will provide some valuable information on how such change can be implemented.”

\“Working with the legislature, school districts, unions and parents, we are going to use the findings from this report to help lead the effort to extend learning time and close the achievement gap in Massachusetts,” said Jennifer Davis, President of Massachusetts 2020. “We expect that our work here in Massachusetts will be an example for other states to follow.”

The study included in-depth site visits at each of the schools, including interviews with students, parents, teachers and administrators. The study reached four main conclusions. First, that extra time allows not only more time in classrooms, it also enables schools to offer an array of enrichment activities to broaden skills and engage students more deeply in learning. Second, the additional time benefits teachers by facilitating the inclusion of common planning time, professional development opportunities and periods for each teacher to plan for their own classes. Third, these schools do generally cost more to operate, but the costs do not increase at the same rate as time is increased. Finally, teachers, parents and even students almost universally appreciate the benefits of a longer day.

BEYOND FAILING SCHOOLS:
National Expert on Black-White Achievement Gap to Speak at Local Forum

Boston – As national and local policymakers call for tougher accountability and debate the fine points of “Average Yearly Progress,” they may be neglecting what will truly narrow the achievement gap. This according to Richard Rothstein, author of Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap. Rothstein will give the keynote address at a forum titled “Addressing the Barriers to Academic Achievement: Partnering for Boston’s Students’ Success” on Monday, May 16, from 8:30 –11:30 am at The Boston Foundation.

Rothstein, former New York Times education columnist and currently research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, and visiting professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, argues that blaming the achievement gap mostly on failing schools is a mistake because it diverts attention from the need to address the economic and social gaps between children that thwart academic potential.

“Closing the gaps between lower-class and middle-class children doesn’t just require better schools. It requires social and economic reforms that would give children more equal chances to succeed in schools,” Rothstein said. “Unfortunately, the trend is to shift most of the burden to schools, as if they alone can eradicate poverty and inequality.”

Rothstein was invited to Boston as part of a collaborative effort to increase the connections among the various organizations serving young people in the city. He will be joined at Monday’s forum by a panel of four local leaders in the fields of education and human services: Thomas Payzant, Superintendent, Boston Public Schools; Laurie Cammisa, Vice President of Children’s Advocacy, Children’s Hospital Boston; Robert Lewis, Jr., Executive Director, Boston Centers for Youth and Families; and Milton J. Little, Jr., President and CEO, United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Blenda J. Wilson, President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, will moderate. Panelists will address how each of their respective organizations is improving outcomes for young people. Their presentations will be followed by open discussion among the panelists and questions from the audience.

"While we must continue to improve learning outcomes in schools, we must also expand the conversation around the achievement gap to include non-school hours and community values," said Dr. Wilson of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. "Boston is at the forefront of building a system that supports young people's learning through after-school, early childhood and summer programs. These programs can reduce the barriers to achievement, increase opportunities for educational equity, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of Boston's children and their families."

Sponsors of “Addressing the Barriers to Academic Achievement” are Massachusetts 2020, the Boston Full- service Schools Roundtable, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Boston Foundation, Boston Public Schools, Boston Centers for Youth & Families, Boston After School & Beyond, and United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

Click here to download the data report which helped to inform the discussion.