Schools

It's A Long Day For Elementary Students In New London

Students at Winthrop and Jennings will be in school 300 hours longer than nearly any other students in Connecticut as the district is one of three in the state to participate in a pilot program to allow for enrichment programs.

On the first day of school in New London on Monday, Winthrop Magnet Elementary School Principal Michele Han said she looked at clock as 2:45 p.m. drew near and thought, almost time to go home. Then she remembered: school wouldn't be getting out until 4:15 p.m.

New London Public Schools was one of three districts in Connecticut to receive an Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Grant for this school year. Winthrop is the first to implement the new program, which adds more than 300 additional hours to the school year. Jennings School will follow suit on September 16. 

The idea behind this pilot program is that by lengthening the school day, teachers will have more time to focus on individual student needs and students will benefit from additional enrichment programs in specific subject areas. 

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As this is the first time any school in Connecticut has done this, the district turned to the National Center of Time and Learning for assistance and the team at Winthrop spent the summer working out the schedule and figuring out how instruction would be different. 

The school decided to take a team approach to teaching, allowing elementary teachers to really focus on one content area, such as literacy or math. Winthrop also decided to offer 90 minute blocks of time for "specials" such as art, music, and academic support. 

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Children with similar needs and abilities now receive small group instruction that is tailored to meet those needs. Han said the progress made by students in each group will be assessed every eight weeks and the groups will be adjusted accordingly.

In order not to place undue burden on teachers and to expand the curriculum, the school sought out partners to teach the enrichment programs. 

"Part of the challenge was to create a school year that is at least 300 hours longer without lengthening the teachers' day and in a way that was sustainable," said Han. "I have the very best teachers but they work their tails off and we want to do anything we can do to make them feel supported."

As a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math magnet school, Winthrop wanted to partner with organizations that fit into the overall theme and that have experience teaching children in fun and exciting ways. So far, that includes Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, New London 4H, New London Parks and Recreation, Mystic Aquarium, and Play-Well Teknologies (which uses Lego as a teaching tool), and the Connecticut Science Center.

"The hardest part was finding community partners," said Han. "For students, I'm hoping the enrichment opportunities are engaging. This is different. It's more active. It's not meant to be more of the same. There are just so many ways I see it can impact student achievement."


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