ADVISORY: Union and District Partnerships to Expand Learning Time

November 18, 2009, 9:00am – 10:30am

November 16, 2009

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Contact: Madeline Meth
Phone: 202.741.6277
Email: mmeth@americanprogress.org

Many schools across the country have expanded their school day and/or year and redesigned their schedule, resulting in remarkable gains in student achievement. While the advantages for students are obvious, the impact on teachers and union partnerships must also be examined.

The Obama administration is calling for more schools to rethink the school day and calendar, making it a key feature of Race to the Top Fund and School Improvement Grants programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As a result, traditional public schools, particularly struggling schools that want a bite of these federal funds to support their school turnaround efforts, will need to examine the use of time within their school day and year, as will affiliated teachers and unions. In the most successful implementations of expanded learning time, school and district leaders have worked in close collaboration with teachers and teachers unions.

Join us for a discussion about the challenges and successes of implementing expanded learning time in a traditional public school environment, highlighting the role of teachers and teachers unions. A new report from the Center for American Progress will launch the discussion. It profiles three traditional public schools to better understand the significant issues that school leaders, teachers, and union leaders must grapple with in moving to a longer day and year. The lessons that they have learned along the way are invaluable to both practitioners and policymakers alike.

Featured Panelists:

Jonathan Spear, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Generation Schools
Leo Casey, Vice President of Academic High Schools, United Federation of Teachers
Amber Dixon, Executive Director of Project Initiatives, Buffalo Public Schools

Moderated By:

Melissa Lazarín, Associate Director for Education Policy, Center for American Progress

Breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m.

RSVP

Please RSVP to Suzi Emmerling at 202.481.8224 or semmerling@americanprogress.org.

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Map & Directions
Nearest Metro: Blue/Orange Line to McPherson Square or Red Line to Metro Center

Streaming Video

Click here to watch the event live.

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