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25 Jan 2018
Report

Boston Public Schools Expanded Learning Time Research Collaborative: Year 2 Findings Report

Stephanie Marek, Sarah Faude, and Donna Muncey, Boston Public Schools
Alexandra Kistner, Dionisio García Píriz, Ryan Williams, and Susan Therriault, AIR

Expanded learning time (ELT) is a practice that increases the length of the school day for all students, with the goal of using the additional time to improve student outcomes, especially in low-performing schools. Since 2006, Boston Public Schools (BPS) has been implementing ELT in an effort to improve student outcomes and narrow opportunity and achievement gaps.

As part of a federally funded Researcher-Practitioner Partnership, BPS is collaborating with AIR to study its ELT program types, with the goal of understanding the impact of ELT on student academic and behavioral outcomes, as well as program cost-effectiveness.

In Year 1 of the project, BPS identified 46 schools implementing ELT, and AIR and BPS staff interviewed school administrators and staff to begin to understand how schools were choosing to use expanded time, as well as the strengths and challenges of implementing ELT. In the second, and final, year of the project, data from 2005 to 2016 were used to understand the impact of ELT on student achievement for BPS students.

Key Findings

Among the findings for students in ELT schools:

  • A statistically positive impact was found for all students in English language arts and mathematics in each of the first two years after ELT implementation. The improvements were larger in mathematics than in English language arts, and no impact was found for science achievement.
  • The data show a positive impact in each of the first two years after implementation for several different demographic groups in both mathematics and English language arts, including Black, Hispanic, female, and male students. Some gains were observed for economically disadvantage students and English language learners, primarily in Year 2. No impact was found for White or Asian students or students with disabilities.
PDF icon Boston Public Schools Expanded Learning Time Research Collaborative: Year 2 Findings Report (PDF)
PDF icon Handout: Expanded Learning Time Found to Have a Positive Impact on Student Achievement at Boston Public Schools (PDF)

Related Projects

Project

Boston Public Schools: A Study of Expanded Learning Time

Expanded learning time (ELT) is a school improvement strategy in which time is added to the regular school day for additional instruction or enrichment activities for students, and collaboration and professional development for teachers. Boston Public Schools and AIR are collaborating to conduct research about ELT, specifically to determine how these practices affect student outcomes, and to understand keys to the sustainability of effective practice.

Related Work

30 Aug 2016
Report

Boston Public Schools Expanded Learning Time Research Collaborative: Year 1 Findings Report

A growing practice nationwide, expanded learning time (ELT) is a practice that entails increasing the length of the school day for all students, with the goal of improving student outcomes, especially in low-performing schools. Boston Public Schools is working with AIR to evaluate its ELT efforts; this report reveals the first year's findings.
Topic: 
Education, Afterschool and Expanded Learning
9 Oct 2016
Service

Research Practice Partnerships at AIR

Research alliances are long-term partnerships among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners that draw the three groups into close, sustained relationships focused on a shared set of priorities. Members negotiate a research agenda, and a subset of policymakers and practitioners maintains advisory roles on projects staffed with researchers.
Topic: 
Education, District and School Improvement, English Learners

Further Reading

  • Boston Public Schools Expanded Learning Time Research Collaborative: Year 1 Findings Report
  • Boston Public Schools: A Study of Expanded Learning Time
  • Research Practice Partnerships at AIR
  • Boston Public Schools: Turnaround Using Increased Learning Time
  • Supporting English Learners and Students with Disabilities: Strategies from Turnaround Schools in Massachusetts
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Alex Kistner

Alexandra Kistner

Senior Researcher

Topic

Education
Afterschool and Expanded Learning

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

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