Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
LONGER SCHOOL DAYS
FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN IN
CONNECTICUT... THAT'S THE WORD
COMING DOWN FROM WASHINGTON
THAT GO OVER HERE AT HOME??
GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE, I'M
KEITH KOUNTZ.THE SCHOOL DAY
FOR THOUSANDS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL
STUDENTS IS ABOUT TO GET
LONGER. A HANDFUL OF
SCHOOLS IN FIVE STATES ARE
PART OF A PILOT PROGRAM... TO
IMPROVE LEARNING BY ADDING 300
HOURS TO THE SCHOOL YEAR.
CONNECTICUT IS ONE OF THE
STATE'S INVOLVED.
NEWS8'S KENT PIERCE JOINS US
FROM NEWS8 CONTROL WITH A LOOK
AT ONE SCHOOL WHERE THEY'RE
ALREADY TRYING OUT THE LONGER
DAY.... AND KENT... IN
THIS CASE... NOBODY'S
COMPLAINING?
3
THEY LIKE IT. THEY REALLY
LIKE IT. YOU WOULD THINK KIDS
WOULD HATE SPENDING AN EXTRA
90 MINUTES IN SCHOOL, AND
TEACHERS WOULD FIGHT THE EXTRA
WORK...BUT AT ONE MERIDEN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THEY'RE
ALREADY TRYING THIS EXTENDED
DAY, AND BOTH TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS SAY IT WORKS.
THIS YEAR, THE KIDS AT
PULASKI ELEMENTARY STARTED
GETTING HERE A LOT EARLIER IN
RIVERAé3RD GRADER]
((TC:14:02:28-:38)) "WHAT
SCHOOL EVERY DAY?""7:15.""AND
WHAT TIME DID YOU GET TO
[PHOTOS ON BULLETIN BOARD]
THEY CALL IT EXTENDED MORNINGS
EVERY MORNING TO EAT
BREAKFAST, EXERCISE IN THE
TOO.[BOB ANGELIéMERIDEN
SCHOOLS ASST. SUPERINTENDENT]
NOT JUST MORE OF THE SAME OF
WHAT THE CHILDREN DO
THROUGHOUT THEIR REGULAR
SCHOOL DAY. THESE ARE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
THAT REALLY GET THE DAY GOING
IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY."[KENT
PIERCE] ((TC:14:05:48-:02))
"AND SOON MORE AND MORE
SCHOOLS WILL BE DOING EXACTLY
WHAT THEY'RE DOING HERE AT
PULASKI. THERE'S AN
ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY THAT
CONNECTICUT IS ONE OF FIVE
STATES TAKING PART IN A PILOT
PROGRAM, SO OTHER SCHOOLS HERE
IN MERIDEN, AS WELL AS IN EAST
LONDON ARE GOING TO BE DOING
THIS." THE IDEA IS TO CLOSE
THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND NOT
SO RICH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND
MAKE US STUDENTS MORE
COMPETITIVE WITH KIDS FROM
OTHER NATIONS.[BOB
ANGELIéMERIDEN SCHOOLS ASST.
SUPERINTENDENT]
((TC:13:56:15-:26)) "WE WANT
THEM TO BE COMPETITIVE NOT
JUST WITH THEIR PEERS EHRE IN
CONECTICUT, BUT WE WANT THEM
TO BE COMPETITIVE ON A GLOBAL
SCALE." AND IF YOU THINK
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ARE
GRIPING ABOUT THE EXTRA HOURS,
WELL THE TEACHERS AT PULASKI
PUSHED FOR THE EXTENDED DAY,
AND THE STUDENTS ACTUALLY
ENJOY IT[AALIYAH RIVERAé3RD
GRADER] ((TC:14:03:15-:25))
"YOU LIKE SPENDING MORE TIME
IN SCHOOL?""YES.""DOES THAT
SEEM WEIRD TO YOU?""KINDA."
"BUT IT'S STILL FUN?""YEAH."
EXTEND THE DAYS AT TWO OTHER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS STARTING
KENT PIERCE, NEWS8.
MERIDEN PLANS TO EXTEND THE
DAYS AT TWO OTHER ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS STARTING NEXT YEAR.
NEW LONDON AND EAST HARTFORD
HAVE SIMILAR PLANS. LOTS OF
CONNECTICUT SCHOOL OFFICIALS
AND GOVERNOR MALLOY ARE IN
WASHINGTON RIGHT NOW WITH
EDUCATION SECRETARY ARNE
DUNCAN ANNOUNCING THESE PLANS.
WE WILL HAVE COMPLETE
COVERAGE OF THAT COMING UP ON