FOR 9,000 students in 18 Massachusetts public schools, the secret to success is basic: more time. Instead of making do with an old-fashioned six-hour day, these schools have done a substantial overhaul, creating a school day that is both longer and richer.
From Boston to Fall River, schools taking part in the Expanded Learning Time Initiative have extended their days by at least 25 percent, adding more math, English, science, arts, and even swimming. One early sign of their success is an increase in MCAS scores. In the first year of the program, the number of students who got "proficient" scores rose 44 percent in math, and 39 percent in language arts.
These results should prompt Massachusetts to help more schools extend their days.
"This is a reform that can be widespread," explains Chris Gabrieli, chairman of the local nonprofit Massachusetts 2020, which measured the schools' outcomes.
So far, Massachusetts is a pioneer. The extended-day initiative is a partnership between Massachusetts 2020 and the state's Department of Education, and boosters say it's the first state-sponsored effort to help regular public schools - those that aren't pilot or charter schools - build a better school day. It gives schools planning grants so they can work out what to do with more hours. Once schools have their plans, they can apply for more state funds - $1,300 per student - to put their plan into action. The first group of extended-time schools began in September 2006.
Longer days have yielded many benefits. Students spend more time learning. Teachers have more planning time, and those who stay for a longer day earn more money. Community organizations have become vital partners. In Worcester, for example, students at the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School have worked with the Paul Revere House and Old Sturbridge Village.
Parents are also paying attention. More families are taking tours at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in Cambridge. And for the first time the school has a waiting list for students from middle-class families who don't qualify for the reduced lunch program.
The next step is to gather more data and insights. So far, 33 more extended-day schools are slated to open in September. And another 100 schools have planning grants.
At its third annual summit today on expanding learning time, Massachusetts 2020 is welcoming educators from several other states who want to see the Massachusetts model. In Congress, as part of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind act, Senator Edward Kennedy plans to include a demonstration project that would help other states extend their school days.
If longer days continue to pay off, Massachusetts should expand even more, targeting investment in reform that works.
