Extended Learning Time
February 2014
Authors: Linda Wesson and Elizabeth Jones
Extending learning time (ELT) in schools, either through more hours in the day or more days in the week or year, is one of many reforms designed to improve student achievement in low-performing schools, especially those in urban, disadvantaged neighborhoods. ELT is one of several required strategies for low-performing schools that accept federal School Improvement Grants and is a common practice among many charter schools. The purpose of this brief is to explain what extended learning time is, where it is being used, the different ways it can be implemented, and related costs and funding. This brief also examines efforts to add time to the standard school day or year in Tennessee, profiles select Tennessee schools with extended learning time programs, and discusses the state’s participation in the TIME Collaborative, a private, nonprofit initiative supporting extended learning time efforts in 11 school districts nationwide.