Success stories in the ELT world are popping up all over the US. Today, Edutopia highlights Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Boston, Massachusetts in their Schools that Work section on how a longer school days can improve academics. Check out what Amrita Sahni, Director of Instruction at Edwards Middle School, has to say about the six factors that have led to ELT implementation success at their school!

A year ago this month, we launched the Time to Succeed Coalition with a splash and a promise. Our promise was to bring people together who support expanding learning time, particularly for students living in areas of concentrated poverty – whether those people work deeply in education, policy, or are concerned parents, teachers, and citizens. We promised to help move initiatives and policies and support the work of others doing the same. And most of all, we promised to help expand the number of students in ELT schools.

This post originally appeared on the blog of NoDropouts.org  A very special thank you to NoDropouts.org for giving TSC the opportunity to contribute! 

One of my favorite reflection activities in the classroom or after professional development is “I used to think…but now I think.”

This guest post is by Saskia Traill, TASC's Vice President of Policy and Research. It originally appeared in the ExpandED Exchange blog last week.

In my daily search of the expanded learning time beat, I came across an op-ed regarding more time in schools that opened with one of my favorite proverbs– ‘All work and no play will make Jack a dull boy.' But the author argued that this particular proverb emphasized how expanding the school year and/or day would “hinder the young generation from experiencing the perks of life.”

This blog post was written by Anne Marie Frassica, a former teacher in the Boston Public Schools, who is currently earning her MBA at Harvard Business School.

Officially, as of 7:02 A.M. (EDT) this morning, spring is here. The vernal equinox recognizes when the hours of sunlight and darkness are equal, and the days will start getting longer and warmer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time of rebirth and rejuvenation! And it’s the perfect time to sweep away the cobwebs and remember why we began this coalition.

The national attention and momentum for expanded learning time continued to build this week as the news coverage spanned coast to coast.