Extended Learning: An investment
in helping all students reach the finish
line
Wilfredo Laboy, Lawrence
Superintendent of Schools
Suppose I asked you to join
me at our new Veterans Memorial Stadium
for a little experiment a race.
Id ask all of you to line up at one
end of the field to compete in a 100-yard
dash. Whats the prize for the
winner? That would depend on who you are.
If youre a working professional,
the prize would be a promotion and a
raise at your workplace. If youre
an elected official, your prize would be
re-election in your current office. If
youre a student, your prize would
be that you would move on to the next
grade.
Ready. Set. Go!
Does this seem fair: Deciding your fate
in such a performance-related, yet
time-sensitive situation such as this?
Some of you might not be good athletes,
or might have a medical condition that
limits your ability to perform. Those
with limited English proficiency might
not understand the instructions. Or
perhaps, you excel in other aspects of
sports, and speed is not your strength.
Now, what if I told you that some would
be starting at the 50-yard line, while
some of you would start 50-yards behind
the starting line? Did I mention that one
of your fellow competitorsone with
a 50-yard lead is a former Olympic
track and field champion? Are you
starting to feel uneasy about this
challenge?
Given the pre-existing conditions that
affect your ability to perform; given
your starting point on the field; and
given the pace set by the stronger
performers, do you think it is fair to
base such an import-ant prize such as
your promotion or re-electionon
such an unfair contest? E-ven if you try
your absolute hardest, there is still a
significant chance that you will finish
way behind the rest of the pack.
Welcome to the American education system.
Schools across the country have set a
similar unrealistic expectation for our
children. We line-up children to run the
racethe goal of that race is to
achieve proficiency by the end of the
year. However, students come to this
challenge with varying levels of ability
and a host of factors that affect their
performances. Metaphorically, many have a
head-start on this race, while others are
starting way behind the starting line.
Yet, for some reason, we expect all
children to run the race in
the same amount of time, with the same
amount of resources, and we base their
opportunity to progress in school and in
society on this race.
Does this seem fair?
Extended learning is a program that
addresses this situation, understanding
that all children learn at a different
pace, but all still run in the race. Some
children progress very quickly, while
some pro-gress more slowly. However, all
students will make it to the finish line
if we give them enough time and support.
We need to extend instructional time in
our schools to provide all students and
all kinds of learners the opportunity to
be successful. For, in this race, success
is not determined by the speed at which
one proceeds, but rather the destination
one reaches at the conclusion of the
race.
In Lawrence, we do not tell our students
that they have a finite amount of time to
learn. Research shows, very clearly, that
all students have the ability to learn.
Although they may not all learn in the
same fashion and at the same pace and
they may require different modalities and
support structures, all students have the
ability to learn and succeed in school.
It is through our extended learning time
strategies, after school programs, summer
school and preschool programs that we can
offer all students the opportunity to
achieve their goals.
With such a robust set of programs
provided in addition to the regular
school day, some critics might ask
whether the cost of providing these
programs is too expensive. I suggest that
we cannot afford to deprive our students
of these resources. For every student who
is held back another year, we must invest
in that student another ten months of
instruction.
By adding another year to his or her
education, weve created a 7%
increase in the overall cost of educating
and graduating that child. System wide,
this can add up to a significant expense.
Furthermore, in addition to creating a
burden on the schools and taxpayers,
retaining students for another year also
has significant financial impact on the
student and his or her family. Another
year in school represents another year
when the student is not earning money in
a professional setting. Why not simply
invest a bit more time during the initial
instruction period to offer adequate
support? Or, if the student doesnt
master the concepts and skills initially,
offer him or her second chance to master
those skills rather than sending them
back to the starting line. Extended
learning provides these opportunities to
children and invests in their success.
Understanding the rational and the
operational cost of extended learning,
some might ask whether the effectiveness
of these programs is worthy of the
investment. While our summer school
passing rate is between 50-60%, this
still has a tremendous positive effect on
the community. Given the financial impactnot
to mention the social impact on the
studentsif we can reduce the number
of students that must be held back, we
reclaim the potential losses associated
with a full 10 months of instruction and
the lost wages of students unable to
enter the workforce.
I suggest that, although we are working
diligently and urgently to improve our
pass rates in summer school, a 60%
reduction of the number of students
held-back represents a significant
positive impact in the community.
Summer school, as well as extended
learning throughout the school year, is
offered so that students may have a
second opportunity to succeed. While not
insignificant, the cost of supporting
students with extended learning programs
during the school year and in the summer
pales in comparison to the burden
associated with students continuing to
fail. Not only is it a wise investment in
this sense, but it is also our moral
imperative to provide these opportunities
for every student.
Our mission in the Lawrence Public
Schools is to create a college going
culture for all students. This means
implementing a rigorous curriculum that
prepares students with cognitive skills
to succeed in todays economy and
societynot just providing basic
reading and computation skills. This
means providing students with limited
English proficiency and students with
learning challenges the resources and the
opportunity to master academic content
the same as every other studentnot
lowering our expectations and taking a
path of least resistance.
This also means creating a college going
culture for every single studentnot
just those who run the race quickly.
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