Five New England School Districts to Participate in TIME Collaborative

Schools from East Hartford, Meriden, and New London, CT, and from Fall River and Lawrence, MA, will be participating, as part of the TIME Collaborative, in an expanded school calendar starting in the 2013-2014 school year. The TIME (Time for Innovation Matters in Education) Collaborative is a partnership between the Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) that is striving to develop high-quality and sustainable expanded learning time schools in five states.

The states will use a mix of federal and state funding to cover the cost of adding 300 hours of instruction and enrichment to the school year, and they will receive technical assistance from NCTL and capacity building grants from the Ford Foundation, which has committed $3 million a year over the next three years in support of the state efforts.

Schools participating in the TIME Collaborative, beyond simply expanding the learning day and/or year, will have the opportunity to completely re-imagine how time is used by both students and teachers. The collaborative requires schools to participate in a year-long planning process with their district, school, and union leadership, teachers, community partners, and parents, to plan for the re-designed and expanded school schedule. Through that process, school planning teams are encouraged to develop an expanded-time schedule that provides a rigorous, well-rounded curriculum for all students; offers individualized help for students who are struggling; uses data and technology to inform and improve instruction; improves collaboration among teachers; provides enrichment opportunities in the arts, music and other areas critical to development; and promotes a culture of high achievement.

Media reports:

Hartford Courant: Students Will Spend Hundreds More Hours In School At 7 Public Schools (3 DEC 12)

The Day: New London chosen for extended-day school effort (3 DEC 12)

Record-Journal: Meriden school's extended hours are lauded in D.C. (4 DEC 12)

Eagle-Tribune: Lawrence students to get 300 extra learning hours (4 DEC 12)

Background information:

National Center on Time & Learning: The TIME Collaborative

Ford Foundation

East Hartford, CT, Public Schools

Town of East Hartford, CT

Wikipedia: East Hartford, Connecticut

Meriden, CT, Public Schools

City of Meriden, CT

Wikipedia: Meriden, Connecticut

New London, CT, Public Schools

City of New London, CT

Wikipedia: New London, Connecticut

Fall River, MA, Public Schools

City of Fall River, MA

Wikipedia: Fall River, Massachusetts

Lawrence, MA, Public Schools

City of Lawrence, MA

Wikipedia: Lawrence, Massachusetts