WEBVTT 00:00:00.046 --> 00:00:03.526 [Music] Welcome to Observing Implementation 00:00:03.526 --> 00:00:07.976 in Expanded Learning Time Schools. 00:00:09.046 --> 00:00:10.316 My name is Saskia Traill. 00:00:10.316 --> 00:00:12.136 I am the vice president of policy and research 00:00:12.136 --> 00:00:15.216 at the After-School Corporation, or TASC, in New York City. 00:00:16.296 --> 00:00:20.596 About three years ago TASC started an expanded learning time initiative 00:00:20.596 --> 00:00:21.376 in New York City. 00:00:22.086 --> 00:00:25.546 What TASC was trying to do with our expanded learning time was really 00:00:25.546 --> 00:00:27.196 to reinvent the school day. 00:00:27.656 --> 00:00:31.536 What that really looks like in terms of the model is that schools partner 00:00:31.536 --> 00:00:35.686 with community organizations, most of whom have been operating after- 00:00:35.686 --> 00:00:39.936 school programs in New York City for as much as a decade or longer. 00:00:40.266 --> 00:00:44.936 And those two groups come together in a blended staffing system, 00:00:44.936 --> 00:00:46.946 so that certified teachers who are part 00:00:46.946 --> 00:00:51.036 of the traditional school team are working alongside community educators. 00:00:52.186 --> 00:00:55.656 Collecting data to measure expanded learning time success is actually 00:00:55.656 --> 00:00:56.526 really difficult. 00:00:56.906 --> 00:01:00.516 We collected a number of different indicators from the Department 00:01:00.516 --> 00:01:02.256 of Education here in New York City. 00:01:02.786 --> 00:01:06.026 TASC also collects a variety of information on our own 00:01:06.026 --> 00:01:07.566 to measure the success of our schools. 00:01:07.566 --> 00:01:11.706 So we have program officers who go out and visit the school twice a year, 00:01:12.056 --> 00:01:13.556 who look at a number of different things. 00:01:13.846 --> 00:01:16.896 First is an overall student profile in the school. 00:01:17.376 --> 00:01:20.956 So we look at basic student demographics like how many students are enrolled 00:01:20.956 --> 00:01:23.246 in this school, the percentage of students 00:01:23.246 --> 00:01:26.076 that are English language learners, the percentage of students 00:01:26.076 --> 00:01:29.936 who are identified as having special needs, the percentage of students 00:01:29.936 --> 00:01:33.206 or the number of students who are bussed or need transportation home at the end 00:01:33.206 --> 00:01:37.136 of the day, as well as some specific demographic factors like the percentage 00:01:37.136 --> 00:01:40.756 of students who are in foster care or in transitional housing 00:01:40.936 --> 00:01:44.206 or have some other particular factor that you probably want to take 00:01:44.206 --> 00:01:47.536 into account as you think about an expanded learning time program. 00:01:48.716 --> 00:01:52.796 The other things that we look for in our site visit reports are elements 00:01:52.796 --> 00:01:55.466 of principal leadership in expanded learning time. 00:01:55.916 --> 00:01:59.126 In TASC's ELT Initiative-- Expanded Learning Time Initiative-- 00:01:59.446 --> 00:02:02.966 it's really critical that the principal is engaged in the longer school day 00:02:03.266 --> 00:02:06.206 and has a voice, really sets the vision for what 00:02:06.206 --> 00:02:07.826 that longer school day looks like. 00:02:08.985 --> 00:02:12.366 The other things that the program officers look for are school 00:02:12.366 --> 00:02:14.276 and community organization collaboration. 00:02:14.276 --> 00:02:17.546 And then we do some activity observations where we look 00:02:17.546 --> 00:02:19.946 to see what kinds of enrichment 00:02:19.946 --> 00:02:22.916 and engagement activities have been added to the school day. 00:02:22.916 --> 00:02:26.146 So we look to see what kinds of content is being taught and what kind 00:02:26.146 --> 00:02:30.926 of curriculum they are using and whether students really seem engaged, excited, 00:02:30.996 --> 00:02:33.796 challenged, and enthused about what they are working on. 00:02:34.936 --> 00:02:39.076 When we do our site visits, we ask questions about the types of barriers 00:02:39.076 --> 00:02:42.876 that schools are facing to implementing expanded learning time the way 00:02:42.876 --> 00:02:43.896 that they would like to. 00:02:44.166 --> 00:02:47.166 Examples of that are problems they have with blending 00:02:47.166 --> 00:02:49.546 or braiding different public funding sources. 00:02:50.146 --> 00:02:54.216 We also ask research questions about how the school has developed a shared 00:02:54.216 --> 00:02:58.026 accountability, what they are looking for in terms of their measures 00:02:58.026 --> 00:03:00.446 of student success and how those things are going. 00:03:00.866 --> 00:03:03.926 And then when we think about practice, both the logistics 00:03:03.926 --> 00:03:06.256 of operating an expanded learning time initiative, 00:03:06.456 --> 00:03:09.756 the challenges of doing joint professional development 00:03:09.846 --> 00:03:14.196 between certified teachers and community educators, or the logistics 00:03:14.196 --> 00:03:15.936 of offering a longer school day. 00:03:17.086 --> 00:03:19.126 But one of the other things that we are really interested 00:03:19.126 --> 00:03:23.236 in are what are the key factors in our model that seem to make the difference. 00:03:23.496 --> 00:03:26.966 When we think about replicating expanded learning time to other schools 00:03:26.966 --> 00:03:30.346 in New York City and beyond and creating expanded learning time 00:03:30.346 --> 00:03:32.496 as a national movement, it's really important 00:03:32.496 --> 00:03:35.686 that we understand what are the things that absolutely have to be in place 00:03:35.686 --> 00:03:38.546 for us to get the kind of successful outcomes we want for our kids. 00:03:40.046 --> 00:03:42.146 To learn more about Observing Implementation 00:03:42.146 --> 00:03:45.716 in Expanded Learning Time Schools please explore the additional resources 00:03:45.716 --> 00:03:47.636 on the Doing What Works website.