Students
Parents
Employees
Superintendent Tells Washington about Innovative Program
High School Extended Day Focus of U.S. Senate Committee Hearing
August 30, 2010
Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Winston Brooks told a U.S. Senate field committee recently about the Extended Day Program, an innovative program initiated last school year at all APS high schools to help students get the credits they need to graduate with their classmates.
Brooks testified last week at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Innovative Approaches to School Time chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM. The superintendent told the committee how the Extended Day Program provides a more flexible schedule for students who work to help or fully support their families, or who face a multitude of other issues that make attending school during traditional hours a challenge.
“It was my honor to testify before the committee about how APS is using the Extended Day Program to reach students who work to help support their families,” said Brooks following his Aug. 24 testimony at the APS administrative building. “I’m proud of what the program has helped students accomplish so far, and I’m looking forward to how it will grow in the future.”
A typical high school day is from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., however all APS high schools have extended their day to at least 5 p.m. to offer classes needed for graduation, including English and math. In its first year, more than 2,500 students enrolled in the classes that feature a hybrid of face-to-face and online instruction.
Statistics from the program’s pilot year show that slightly more males took courses than females and Hispanic students made up 69 percent of those participating in the program. Brooks acknowledged that the outcomes need to improve: 26 percent of students completed courses, 59 percent are still enrolled in courses and only 15 percent dropped the course.
The program will continue again this year. High school counselors are already looking at student transcripts to determine who will benefit most from attending the after-school classes.
APS has been able to support the Extended Day Program with no new funds. Instead, it took existing resources originally allocated to Evening High School and diverted them to each high school, which used the money to pay for educators to teach the additional classes. By having each high school extend its day, more students have the ability to make up credits than they did when after-school classes were only offered at Evening High, located at Albuquerque High School, more than a dozen miles away from most other high schools.
