Last week I reposted a blog from Edutopia on the six factors that have led to ELT implementation success at Edwards Middle School in Boston, MA. This week, another blog on Edutopia, written by Special Education Coordinator at the Edwards, Craig Haas, deserves some major attention as well.

This week three teachers from an ELT school in Malden, MA, signed on to the coalition. While they all support ELT, they each have their own reasons why. (All emphasis added.) “ELT has provided us with the opportunity to implement peer visits. This is possible because of the additional school time for professional collaboration. We are able to see first-hand grade levels both above and below ours and we can see the continuum of the curriculum.” - Amy Breau, Teacher, Malden, MA “ELT has enabled us to devout one full hour to teach our students any given lesson. The one hour block allows us as teachers to tap into the multiple intelligences of our students. Students who work at a slower pace do not feel rushed and are able to complete the given assignments. ELT also allows more time for us to expand on a particular topic. It also lets us explore those “teaching” moments that happen so often in our classes. The longer day is also a wonderful way to know that our children are safe and cared for, a greater portion of the day. Many children go home to empty houses, and being in school a longer day assures us all, that they are in a safe environment.” - Christina Berg, Teacher, Malden, MA “ELT gives us the opportunity to increase learning time for the students in reading and math skills. We are also able to have time for enrichment such as Project-Based Learning done by vertical grade levels. Not only do teachers across grade level plan lessons, but students interact and learn with students in different grades. This is something the students really enjoy. We are also able to spend more time on collaborative planning and analyzing students’ work and data and identify areas where individual students are lacking. Since we are able to see the students’ deficits, the students are able to perform better consistently each year.” - Diane Shadbegain, Teacher, Malden, MA Now it’s your turn! Become a Signatory and tell us why YOU support expanding learning time!

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!