NPR Considers Longer School Days in Connecticut

Robert Travaglini is the Senior Director of School & District Support in Connecticut for NCTL.

Last Sunday, NPR’s All Things Considered profiled Pulaski Elementary School in Meriden, CT, an expanded-time school participating in the TIME Collaborative. The school day runs from 7:30 a.m. through 3:20 p.m. and the students first 80 minutes are filled with exercising, breakfast, and enrichment classes. 

The Meriden School District and Meriden Federation of Teachers received a grant from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Innovation Fund last year to work together to develop a cost-effective model of expanded learning time. In the radio story, Principal Dan Coffee explains that his school expanded learning time by staggering the teachers’ schedules, partnering with community organizations for enrichment classes, and utilizing technology, which costs between $80 and $115 per child for the year.  
 
We will all be watching as Pulaski Elementary School, as well as the other TIME Collaborative schools, leads the way in developing high-quality, sustainable models of expanded learning time. Please listen to the story and let us know what you think in the comments section.