Dozens of BPS Schools Getting Longer Days

BOSTON, MA — A $14 million investment means an additional 39 Boston Public Schools will operate under longer hours in 2017, BPS said this week.

It's what the school calls Extended Learning Time, or ELT, and officials with BPS describe it as one tool that's "proven to close opportunity gaps for students." With those added 39 schools, 23,000 BPS students at 57 schools will be have an extra 40 minutes a day in the classroom.

Longer hours were a cornerstone piece in "Yes on 2" advocates' arguments to permit more charters in the state, touting those schools' hours.

Going forward, it will be a central piece in the public school district's budget for the coming fiscal year, a city press release said.

"I want to commend Mayor Walsh for his ongoing support to expand learning time for our students, who traditionally have received fewer classroom hours than the national average," BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang said in the release. "This is a critical component in our effort to close opportunity and achievement gaps."

If you're interested, you can read the 2012 statewide study used to back up those claims.