More Learning Time is Key Factor to Raising Achievement

There is plenty of evidence demonstrating that more time in school can help students learn a broader set of skills and subjects. If you want the hard facts, check out our ELT research section. Not only does more learning time play a pivotal role in enabling a well-rounded education,  we know that expanding learning time can lead to accelerated student achievement.  At NCTL the role that time plays in providing students a strong academic, enriched education is what drives our work, but we are also aware that learning time is one factor combined with other elements that leads to a high-quality learning environment.  In order to achieve that, we must focus on how we integrate more learning time in a way that raises educational quality and optimizes learning.

  • When our team works with a school redesign team, they focus their work on the following key turnaround principles, that in concert with time, can drive school success forward:  Incentivize a comprehensive school redesign through a thoughtful and strategic planning process
  • Build strong teacher leadership and collaboration
  • Use  of data for goal-setting
  • Enable teachers to target interventions and acceleration for individual students  
  • Develop a strong school culture with engaged students

More time used well in a combination with a larger school redesign strategy that supports effective teachers and leaders, accelerates student achievement  and promotes school culture can be the secret sauce to improving our struggling schools.