More Time to Learn



Public Policy 

More Time To Learn:  New Planning Grants To Help Districts Extend the School Day and Year

Background

Massachusetts has a right to be proud of its record on education reform.  Since the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1993, this state has put in place challenging standards and an assessment system to measure progress, and has significantly increased overall funding for our public schools.

Yet, lost in our education revolution was the recommendation that to achieve high standards, schools need to add time to the traditional school schedule. Instead, as expectations have risen dramatically and as the demands of a global information-based economy have made a high quality education more important than ever, the time teachers and students have to reach these standards has remained exactly the same.

In fact, the conventional school calendar of 180 6-hour days has been unchanged since it was designed to meet the labor needs of nineteenth century farmers. With its adoption of Expanded Learning Time Planning Grants in the FY 2006 budget, Massachusetts is poised to help districts begin to break the stranglehold of the rigid school calendar.

Summary of Expanded Learning Time Planning Grants

Thanks to the leadership of Senate President Robert Travaglini, Senator Antonioni, and Representatives DeLeo and Haddad, the state legislature approved the funding to support districts and schools to restructure their school days and/or years and add additional time for English/language arts, math and other core subjects, more planning and professional development for teachers, and/or more enrichment opportunities (arts, sports, tutoring, experiential learning) for students.

Grants of at least $25,000 will be available through a competitive RFP process to assist districts with the complex planning required to redesign the school schedule to better meet student, school, and district goals. Preference will be given to Districts that partner with community-based organizations and/or colleges and universities.

These grants have been designed to appeal to a broad range of districts and communities. All districts are eligible, and the DOE will be looking to fund rural, urban, suburban, large and small districts. While three-quarters of the grants will go to districts that have 25% or more of their students eligible for free or reduced price meals, it is important to the DOE and the legislature that a wide range of districts utilize this opportunity.

Districts that are awarded grants will use the money to work with principals and school teams, collective bargaining units, and external partners of their choosing to develop an implementation plan for how to extend time and restructure the school day. The grant program will allow each district to determine the staffing, schedule, budget, and program options that best fit its local context and goals. All districts that participate in the planning grant program will be eligible for state funding for implementation of these plans.

Why is More Time So Important?

In 2004, The Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy released a report on the highest performing urban high schools in Massachusetts. Each of these schools uses significantly more time than the typical public high school. Further, a review of seven extended-day urban elementary and middle schools (to be released by Massachusetts 2020 in summer 2005) shows that significant educational impacts are possible with more time. 

With more time, schools are able to:

  • Increase the amount of time devoted to teaching math, literacy, science and other core subjects;
  • Build in more opportunities for teachers to collaborate during the school day so they can plan lessons together, develop higher quality curriculum, and use data more effectively to improve learning;
  • Integrate vital enrichment activities, such as arts, music, health, and science labs, that develop children’s cognitive and social skills, but have been squeezed out of  the school day;
  • Better enable students to develop 21st century skills such as researching, writing, problem solving, and using technology; and
  • Provide individual and small group tutoring, especially for special education students and English language learners.

Who Can Apply For Planning Grants?

  • All districts are eligible regardless of size, demographics, or performance.
  • 75% of the grants will be awarded to districts where at least 25% of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
  • Preference will be given to districts that plan to partner with community-based organizations or institutions of higher education.

What Are The Planning Grants For?

  • Grants pay for costs associated with creating implementation plans for adding time to the school day and/or school year (e.g. staff time, legal fees, consultants). Approved implementation plans would be eligible for state funding during School Year 2006-2007, pending new appropriations.
  • Districts’ plans must include an increase of time of at least 30% (the equivalent to 2 hours per day) in one or more schools, documentation of leadership capacity, and support from teachers, parents, community members, and all collective bargaining units.

How Does The Grant Process Work?

  • The DOE approves planning grant applications and disburses funds to districts in Fall 2006.
  • Districts use grant money to create a plan for adding time to the school day and/or year in or more schools and submit implementation plans to the DOE for review.
  • The DOE reviews implementation plans and determines which districts will be eligible for state funding during the 2007-2008 school year.