According to the Colorado Legacy Foundation, Colorado was one of five states selected this week to participate in a program that will extend school calendars to provide 1,440 education hours per year. Nine schools, representing four school districts, were chosen for the initiative. Here are the details.
* The TIME (Time for Innovation Matters in Education) Collaborative Effort is being funded by the Ford Foundation and the National Center on Time & Learning.
* The program will provide capacity building grants, administered through the Colorado Legacy Foundation, to the Adams 50, Boulder, Denver and Jeffco school districts in order to implement the extended school calendars.
* U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated on Monday that "adding meaningful in-school hours is a critical investment that better prepares children to be successful in the 21st century."
* Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was on hand for the Education Secretary's announcement and expressed gratitude for the resources "to help create learning experiences where every child can succeed." Hickenlooper added that a more innovative school day -- "one that is longer in some cases and smarter in all cases" -- will help students be better prepared for college and careers.
* According to the Denver Post, Colorado's share of the funding will be $1 million, divided over three years.
* The program will be launched in the 2013-14 school year and will monitor student achievement to determine whether increased time in math and reading, as well as art and cultural activities, increases test scores, the Denver Post reported.
* NPR reported on Monday that the Ford Foundation and the state and federal money for the program will provide 300 extra hours of instruction. The program was intended to be used in poor and low-performing school districts, offering individual intervention and social support and supervision during after-school hours.
* One thousand schools nationwide have already extended school hours either by offering a longer day or adding more days to the school year, NPR reported. The Denver Post stated that 54 schools in Colorado have longer school days, though most of those schools' programs are new and in the formative stages.
* Other states selected this week for funding through the TIME Collaborative Effort include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee, the Colorado Legacy Foundation reported.
