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ERIC Number: ED553184
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Time Use in Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Schools: Issue Brief
Caven, Meghan; Checkoway, Amy; Gamse, Beth; Wu, Sally
Abt Associates
Expanded learning time seems to be a simple idea: by lengthening the school day (or year), students have more time to learn. Yet as schools revisit their schedules and decide how to allocate time in their academic calendars, they can and do face challenging decisions related to time allocations. This brief highlights lessons learned from some schools' experiences with redistributing time for students, focusing specifically on schools that participated in the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) initiative. This set of schools participated in a multi-year study of the ELT initiative. The information presented in this Issue Brief draws primarily from interviews with principals and master schedules for 5th and 8th grade students, and secondarily from surveys of teachers, and surveys of 5th and 8th grade students in 17 ELT and 19 matched comparison schools. The data all refer to the 2010-2011 school year. As school and district administrators consider the redesign of their schools' schedules, time allocation is a key factor. ELT schools used a variety of approaches to arrange instructional and other learning experiences for their students. The longer school day clearly increased the amount of time for core academic subjects as well as noncore classes and specials. Drawing on Aronson et al. and Silva's research, this report reiterates the important point that "while time in school is necessary for learning, time alone is not sufficient."
Abt Associates. 4550 Montgomery Avenue Suite 800 North, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-347-5000; Fax: 301-634-1801; Web site: http://abtassociates.com
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Grade 5; Grade 8; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Abt Associates, Inc.
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A