STATEMENT: CAPAF and NCTL Support the TIME Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center for American Progress Action Fund, or CAP Action, and the National Center on Time and Learning, or NCTL, commend Senate and House education leaders Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ), and Congressman George Miller (D-CA), along with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Senator Thomas Harkin (D-IA), and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for their leadership in filing the Time for Innovation Matters in Education, or TIME Act. This legislation would expand learning time in targeted public schools across the country and CAP Action and NCTL calls for its prompt passage.
The TIME Act supports President Barack Obama and Secretary Arne Duncan’s call for innovation and a significant restructuring of public schools in America in order to accelerate school improvement. Modeled after the successful Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative, the TIME Act has great potential to improve student performance and close achievement gaps by helping schools redesign and expand their school schedules by at least 300 hours. As a result, all students in these schools have additional time in core academics such as math and reading. The expanded school day and/or year also allows for all students to participate in enrichment programming including the arts, music, apprenticeships, and other subjects that have been traditionally available outside of the school day or available to only a small subset of students. The TIME Act also ensures that teachers have more time to collaborate, plan their lessons, and participate in professional development. More time allows for more individualized and creative approaches to help all students achieve at high levels.
According to Cynthia Brown, the Vice President of Education Policy at CAP Action, “more time used more effectively throughout the school day and year can help close both the academic and enrichment gaps that currently exist between low-income and minority students and their peers.”
“We applaud Senator Kennedy, Representative Payne, and education leaders in the House and Senate for their work on this issue,” said Jennifer Davis, President of the National Center of Time and Learning, which works with states to support expanding learning time initiatives. “The highest performing public schools in the country have proven that our neediest children can reach high standards with more time and support. A global economy demands more of our students and schools, and it is time that we redesign the school calendar to allow all of our students to compete.”
To speak about expanded learning time with Cynthia Brown, an education expert from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, please contact Suzi Emmerling at 202-481-8224, or [email protected].
To speak with Jennifer Davis, President of NCTL, please contact Blair Brown at [email protected].
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