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We hear parents say it all the time. “My children are so different from one another.” One child is outgoing, boisterous and athletic. The other is quiet and introspective, finding fulfillment in a good book.
Children grow, think and learn differently. Yet the model of 180 six-hour school days per year is meant to meet all students’ needs, and has been for at least a century. It may be time for a change.
Much attention has been paid to the phenomenon of summer learning loss, which occurs over the long vacation break and can result in students losing two to three months of academic skills and knowledge. Summer learning loss can impact all students, but it predominantly affects those from low-income circumstances.
Many families don’t have the financial resources necessary to fill their children’s summers with enriching camps and travel experiences that augment lessons learned in school. An extended school year can mitigate summer learning loss and aid in closing the achievement gap for students whose families struggle with poverty.
In high-poverty schools in particular, the benefits of Expanded Learning Time (ELT) can be crucial in achieving greater academic success and decreasing the learning gap.
Students from low-income families who attend ELT schools are more likely to graduate from high school, according to studies that show early academic success to be a robust predictor of high school graduation. (“It’s About Time: Extended Learning and Academic Achievement,” University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development.) Even more, extended-time programs can provide much needed financial and emotional stability for families living in poverty.
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In an ELT model, the school days are longer — up to three hours longer than traditional days — and the school-year calendar is extended by as much as six weeks.
Key to any ELT program is that additional time be filled with purposeful learning: not simply more time, but more quality learning time. Researchers and practitioners agree that effective extended learning programs combine three components — academic enrichment, cultural activities, and recreational opportunities — that guide and engage children in learning. (“Supporting Student Success: A Governor’s Guide to Extra Learning Opportunities,” NGA.org)
Extended calendars allow teachers the flexibility to explore material deeply, and children the opportunity to master a topic or skill in their own time. Classes have time to probe a related subject if students’ interests lead them in another direction. They can reflect on the lesson and how it relates to their personal lives.
There is increased time for project-based learning, credited with building 21st-century skills like problem-solving, research, time-management, communication, and cross-cultural understanding.
In an ELT setting, enrichment opportunities are built into the schedule, too. Choices like yoga, cooking, tennis, art, science club or Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are available to all students, regardless of their families’ ability to pay for activities.
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The academic advantages of expanded time are easy to understand and are borne out time and again in the research. In the two years from 2012 to 2014, the number of ELT schools in the country doubled in number and in student enrollment.
Programs that extend the school year can do more than reduce summer learning loss — they can increase academic achievement, especially for children in poverty (NEA policy brief: “Closing the Gap through Extended Learning Opportunities”). But for families with limited financial resources and the attendant stress of living in poverty, an extended school day and year can have life-altering impact.
Families living at or near the federal poverty level have greater concerns in the summer months than learning loss. Summer means increased childcare costs or less desirable childcare settings because of an inability to pay more.
It means an increase in food scarcity for their family for a full 10 weeks. It means seeing summer camps and enrichment opportunities all around but not being able to provide them for their children.
Imagine a family of four struggling to make ends meet on an income of $24,000 annually. Now imagine that the cost of childcare for all but a month or two per year is taken off their shoulders. Going further, imagine those children are receiving a nutritious breakfast and lunch every school day, along with two healthy snacks.
Think of the security parents now feel, knowing their children are in a safe place with people who care for them and know them well, and also know their academic needs. This is now a family for whom ELT is transforming their personal lives as well as their child’s academic accomplishment.
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The odds of a child succeeding in school, graduating, potentially attending college and/or becoming a wage-earning member of society increase with each year of stability and expanded opportunity. This is true for all children from all walks of life. For those in high-poverty areas or schools, the benefits of an Expanded Learning Time program are exponentially meaningful. Perhaps it’s time.