What More Time Can (and Can't) Do for School Turnarounds

ES REPORT SNAPSHOT What More Time Can (and Can't) Do EDUCATIONSECTOR for Turnarounds www.educationsector.org Extended learning time (ELT) is becoming The Department of Education defines one of the most widely used strategies for "increased learning time" as the use of a longer fixing the nation's worst public schools. The school day, week, or year, to significantly boost U.S. Department of Education is investing the number of school hours for core academic $$$$ $3.5 billion $$$$ subjects, as well as for other subjects and enrichment activities. The department O-0-0 over 3 years 0 0 0 encourages SIG schools to increase their through the School Improvement Grant schedules by at least 300 hours and require (SIG) program to improve the country's more time for planning and learning. lowest-performing 5% But should ELT be a strategy for turning of schools, and more than 90 percent of How Are around low-performing schools? Schools them are selecting one of the two models that have succeeded with ELT have done Schools - turnaround and transformation- so largely because they include time as that mandate more time. This translates Extending part of a more comprehensive reform. into more than Time? Yet, as SIG schools rush to meet the federal ÔÔ 4,000 schools nn requirements, far too many are showing a Schools are and roughly lack of capacity-the staff, the structures, and taking a wide the funds-to gain enough time to make a 2 2,000,000 students. - range of approaches to extending learning time, difference or to use that time well. but their efforts can be loosely organized within 3 main designs: 1 Adding Time to the School Day 2 Expanding Time Outside the School Changing the Way We Use Time On average, schools that pursue this This is the most common approach, but Many schools following this approach propose to gain time for instruction by decreasing non-instructional time, namely lunch, recess, or the time allotted for option added roughly 70 minutes to each it is by no means simple. Almost all of day, or 210 hours to their year–well the schools with plans to extend time in short of the 300-plus hours the federal this way rely on a community partner, or students to move between classes. The government recommends. But it's costly, an external provider, or both, and most relying mostly on teacher (and union) buy-in to staff extra time. require additional staff, often volunteers or members of a public service corps. result is a few minutes gained here and there, but no substantive increases that will enhance learning. But not all schools using this approach are trading minutes. Some are looking first at factors like absenteesim that What's at Stake? prevent students from effectively using the time they already have. And others are using technology to creatively b0ost learning time. There are strong ELT examples, and evidence that ELT can But policymakers work to improve teaching and learning. But many of today's and school ELT adopters, namely the nation's lowest-performing schools, leaders must are constrained by limited and temporary funds and a long recognize that list of other required reforms and, as a result, are effectively successful schools use time not just to favoring quantity over quality. And they have no clear plans for extend hours and days but to creatively sustaining even their modest ambitions. The inevitable result of improve how and by whom instruction is delivered. In the end, the ELT movement is more likely to leave a legacy of school these shortcomings will be failure: a promising movement fades, improvement strategies falter, teachers get fed up and leave. New designs for extended time and student success if it becomes should be a part of the nation's school less about time and more about improvement plans. quality teaching and learning. Compiled from Off the Clock: What More Time Can (and Can't) Do for Turnarounds, March 2012. ES REPORT SNAPSHOT What More Time Can (and Can't) Do EDUCATIONSECTOR for Turnarounds www.educationsector.org Extended learning time (ELT) is becoming The Department of Education defines one of the most widely used strategies for "increased learning time" as the use of a longer fixing the nation's worst public schools. The school day, week, or year, to significantly boost U.S. Department of Education is investing the number of school hours for core academic $$$$ $3.5 billion $$$$ subjects, as well as for other subjects and enrichment activities. The department O-0-0 over 3 years 0 0 0 encourages SIG schools to increase their through the School Improvement Grant schedules by at least 300 hours and require (SIG) program to improve the country's more time for planning and learning. lowest-performing 5% But should ELT be a strategy for turning of schools, and more than 90 percent of How Are around low-performing schools? Schools them are selecting one of the two models that have succeeded with ELT have done Schools - turnaround and transformation- so largely because they include time as that mandate more time. This translates Extending part of a more comprehensive reform. into more than Time? Yet, as SIG schools rush to meet the federal ÔÔ 4,000 schools nn requirements, far too many are showing a Schools are and roughly lack of capacity-the staff, the structures, and taking a wide the funds-to gain enough time to make a 2 2,000,000 students. - range of approaches to extending learning time, difference or to use that time well. but their efforts can be loosely organized within 3 main designs: 1 Adding Time to the School Day 2 Expanding Time Outside the School Changing the Way We Use Time On average, schools that pursue this This is the most common approach, but Many schools following this approach propose to gain time for instruction by decreasing non-instructional time, namely lunch, recess, or the time allotted for option added roughly 70 minutes to each it is by no means simple. Almost all of day, or 210 hours to their year–well the schools with plans to extend time in short of the 300-plus hours the federal this way rely on a community partner, or students to move between classes. The government recommends. But it's costly, an external provider, or both, and most relying mostly on teacher (and union) buy-in to staff extra time. require additional staff, often volunteers or members of a public service corps. result is a few minutes gained here and there, but no substantive increases that will enhance learning. But not all schools using this approach are trading minutes. Some are looking first at factors like absenteesim that What's at Stake? prevent students from effectively using the time they already have. And others are using technology to creatively b0ost learning time. There are strong ELT examples, and evidence that ELT can But policymakers work to improve teaching and learning. But many of today's and school ELT adopters, namely the nation's lowest-performing schools, leaders must are constrained by limited and temporary funds and a long recognize that list of other required reforms and, as a result, are effectively successful schools use time not just to favoring quantity over quality. And they have no clear plans for extend hours and days but to creatively sustaining even their modest ambitions. The inevitable result of improve how and by whom instruction is delivered. In the end, the ELT movement is more likely to leave a legacy of school these shortcomings will be failure: a promising movement fades, improvement strategies falter, teachers get fed up and leave. New designs for extended time and student success if it becomes should be a part of the nation's school less about time and more about improvement plans. quality teaching and learning. Compiled from Off the Clock: What More Time Can (and Can't) Do for Turnarounds, March 2012. ES REPORT SNAPSHOT What More Time Can (and Can't) Do EDUCATIONSECTOR for Turnarounds www.educationsector.org Extended learning time (ELT) is becoming The Department of Education defines one of the most widely used strategies for "increased learning time" as the use of a longer fixing the nation's worst public schools. The school day, week, or year, to significantly boost U.S. Department of Education is investing the number of school hours for core academic $$$$ $3.5 billion $$$$ subjects, as well as for other subjects and enrichment activities. The department O-0-0 over 3 years 0 0 0 encourages SIG schools to increase their through the School Improvement Grant schedules by at least 300 hours and require (SIG) program to improve the country's more time for planning and learning. lowest-performing 5% But should ELT be a strategy for turning of schools, and more than 90 percent of How Are around low-performing schools? Schools them are selecting one of the two models that have succeeded with ELT have done Schools - turnaround and transformation- so largely because they include time as that mandate more time. This translates Extending part of a more comprehensive reform. into more than Time? Yet, as SIG schools rush to meet the federal ÔÔ 4,000 schools nn requirements, far too many are showing a Schools are and roughly lack of capacity-the staff, the structures, and taking a wide the funds-to gain enough time to make a 2 2,000,000 students. - range of approaches to extending learning time, difference or to use that time well. but their efforts can be loosely organized within 3 main designs: 1 Adding Time to the School Day 2 Expanding Time Outside the School Changing the Way We Use Time On average, schools that pursue this This is the most common approach, but Many schools following this approach propose to gain time for instruction by decreasing non-instructional time, namely lunch, recess, or the time allotted for option added roughly 70 minutes to each it is by no means simple. Almost all of day, or 210 hours to their year–well the schools with plans to extend time in short of the 300-plus hours the federal this way rely on a community partner, or students to move between classes. The government recommends. But it's costly, an external provider, or both, and most relying mostly on teacher (and union) buy-in to staff extra time. require additional staff, often volunteers or members of a public service corps. result is a few minutes gained here and there, but no substantive increases that will enhance learning. But not all schools using this approach are trading minutes. Some are looking first at factors like absenteesim that What's at Stake? prevent students from effectively using the time they already have. And others are using technology to creatively b0ost learning time. There are strong ELT examples, and evidence that ELT can But policymakers work to improve teaching and learning. But many of today's and school ELT adopters, namely the nation's lowest-performing schools, leaders must are constrained by limited and temporary funds and a long recognize that list of other required reforms and, as a result, are effectively successful schools use time not just to favoring quantity over quality. And they have no clear plans for extend hours and days but to creatively sustaining even their modest ambitions. The inevitable result of improve how and by whom instruction is delivered. In the end, the ELT movement is more likely to leave a legacy of school these shortcomings will be failure: a promising movement fades, improvement strategies falter, teachers get fed up and leave. New designs for extended time and student success if it becomes should be a part of the nation's school less about time and more about improvement plans. quality teaching and learning. Compiled from Off the Clock: What More Time Can (and Can't) Do for Turnarounds, March 2012. ES REPORT SNAPSHOT What More Time Can (and Can't) Do EDUCATIONSECTOR for Turnarounds www.educationsector.org Extended learning time (ELT) is becoming The Department of Education defines one of the most widely used strategies for "increased learning time" as the use of a longer fixing the nation's worst public schools. The school day, week, or year, to significantly boost U.S. Department of Education is investing the number of school hours for core academic $$$$ $3.5 billion $$$$ subjects, as well as for other subjects and enrichment activities. The department O-0-0 over 3 years 0 0 0 encourages SIG schools to increase their through the School Improvement Grant schedules by at least 300 hours and require (SIG) program to improve the country's more time for planning and learning. lowest-performing 5% But should ELT be a strategy for turning of schools, and more than 90 percent of How Are around low-performing schools? Schools them are selecting one of the two models that have succeeded with ELT have done Schools - turnaround and transformation- so largely because they include time as that mandate more time. This translates Extending part of a more comprehensive reform. into more than Time? Yet, as SIG schools rush to meet the federal ÔÔ 4,000 schools nn requirements, far too many are showing a Schools are and roughly lack of capacity-the staff, the structures, and taking a wide the funds-to gain enough time to make a 2 2,000,000 students. - range of approaches to extending learning time, difference or to use that time well. but their efforts can be loosely organized within 3 main designs: 1 Adding Time to the School Day 2 Expanding Time Outside the School Changing the Way We Use Time On average, schools that pursue this This is the most common approach, but Many schools following this approach propose to gain time for instruction by decreasing non-instructional time, namely lunch, recess, or the time allotted for option added roughly 70 minutes to each it is by no means simple. Almost all of day, or 210 hours to their year–well the schools with plans to extend time in short of the 300-plus hours the federal this way rely on a community partner, or students to move between classes. The government recommends. But it's costly, an external provider, or both, and most relying mostly on teacher (and union) buy-in to staff extra time. require additional staff, often volunteers or members of a public service corps. result is a few minutes gained here and there, but no substantive increases that will enhance learning. But not all schools using this approach are trading minutes. Some are looking first at factors like absenteesim that What's at Stake? prevent students from effectively using the time they already have. And others are using technology to creatively b0ost learning time. There are strong ELT examples, and evidence that ELT can But policymakers work to improve teaching and learning. But many of today's and school ELT adopters, namely the nation's lowest-performing schools, leaders must are constrained by limited and temporary funds and a long recognize that list of other required reforms and, as a result, are effectively successful schools use time not just to favoring quantity over quality. And they have no clear plans for extend hours and days but to creatively sustaining even their modest ambitions. The inevitable result of improve how and by whom instruction is delivered. In the end, the ELT movement is more likely to leave a legacy of school these shortcomings will be failure: a promising movement fades, improvement strategies falter, teachers get fed up and leave. New designs for extended time and student success if it becomes should be a part of the nation's school less about time and more about improvement plans. quality teaching and learning. Compiled from Off the Clock: What More Time Can (and Can't) Do for Turnarounds, March 2012.