Public Policy and Technical Assistance

For more information on our public policy, click here.

Building off of our extended-time schools research, Massachusetts 2020 developed a public policy strategy to dramatically expand learning time for a significant number of children across the state.

This policy work has entailed: (1) building a coalition of influential supporters of more learning time for Massachusetts students; (2) developing a detailed policy for how to finance and implement more learning time in districts and schools; and (3) working directly with the legislature and other state leaders to enact the policy and gain state funding for implementation.

One significant outcome of Massachusetts 2020’s policy work to date has been the creation of the “School Redesign: Expanding Learning Time to Support Student Success” grant program by the Massachusetts Department of Education. This grant goes to districts to develop plans to restructure the school calendars of a sub set of schools by adding 30% more time to the school day and/or year.

Massachusetts 2020 is providing technical assistance to each district participating in the School Redesign grant program by facilitating planning meetings, offering guidance on scheduling, curriculum, and instruction, assisting with union contract negotiations, presenting at parent and community meetings, and coordinating community partnership involvement in the redesigned schools.

Grant Program Specifics

Twenty school districts from across Massachusetts applied to the Massachusetts Department of Education for grants of $25,000 to assist them with the complex planning required to redesign the school schedule to better meet student, school, and district goals. Preference was given to districts that serve a high percentage of low-income families and those that partner with community-based organizations and/or colleges and universities.

The Planning Grants in Action

Eleven districts received planning grants and are now creating plans to implement expanded time in at least one of their district schools by September 2006. Each district has created a planning team and is consulting with teachers, parents, union officials, and community stakeholders to design a plan that incorporates additional academic time, enrichment activities, and professional development for teachers. These districts are also grappling with how to modify collective bargaining agreements, transportation, schedules, and staffing. Many communities are surveying parents to gauge interest in an expanded school schedule and seek their input on proposed plans. The grant program expects each district to determine the staffing, schedule, budget, and program options that best fit its local context and goals.

Each district will create an implementation plan to:

• Add 30% more time to their current schedule by lengthening the day and/or year
• Redesign the school schedule so the additional time is mandatory for the entire student body
• Bring in partners to provide specialized programs the school is unable to offer
• Develop a budget that assumes no more than $1,300 per pupil in additional state funding

The district implementation plans will be submitted to the DOE for review in April 2006. Those districts with the best plans will be eligible for state funding for implementation in September 2006.  The Governor’s budget proposal recently included $15 million for implementation of these plans.  The House and Senate leadership, along with the education chairs, continue to play a leadership role on this initiative and are committed to funding the implementation phase.

Fulfilling the intent of the grant program to reach a cross section of students and schools, planning grants were awarded to districts across the state and serving a range of grades and income levels:

• Districts range in size from Boston (60,000 students) to Rochester (556 students)
• Geographic range – 9 urban, 2 suburban
• 30 schools – 12 elementary, 5 K-8 schools, 13 middle/junior high
• 14,000 total students

What are Districts Planning to Do?

In preliminary plans submitted to the DOE on January 13, districts reported the following:

• All schools will lengthen the school day
• 9 schools (3 districts) may also add days to the school year
• 81% of schools plan to add more English instruction
• 85% of schools plan to add more math instruction
• 100% of schools plan to add more enrichment activities
• Most districts are also considering adding time for planning, professional development, and small group instruction, especially for special education students and English Language Learners

For More Information

To access the RFP for the planning grants available to school districts, click here. 
For more information on the planning grants, contact Ben Lummis at (617 ) 723-6747, ext. 3924 or ben@mass2020.org.
For frequently asked questions on the planning grants, click here.