Supporting the Creative Use of Time to Expand Learning Opportunities

WHEREAS, the NAACP's education report focuses on the need to expand the school day and year to increase the educational opportunities available to students of color; and

WHEREAS, more time itself is not the answer - since research on simply extending learning time has been inconclusive - but a better use of time for high­ quality learning opportunities can be a strong factor in fostering student academic growth; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP is committed to increasing the numbers of high school graduates that are prepared for college and career success; and

WHEREAS, the 2010 Educational Testing Service (ETS) study that focused on the achievement gap between Black and White students offered as a potential reason for the achievement gap that generations of Black youth growing up in poverty do not have access to resources (e.g., computers, summer enrichment camps, or even books or magazines at home) that are readily available to their more affluent peers; and

WHEREAS, expanded learning programs can provide opportunities for students to have experiences they would not be able to receive during a typical school day or in their homes and communities; and

WHEREAS, this is particularly important for rural communities, where students are likely to have far less access to resources like libraries, museums, youth centers, and community organizations than their urban and suburban peers; and

WHEREAS, solutions to this problem include developing partnerships with higher education institutions, providing transportation support, and exploring promising strategies for virtual participation in learning and enrichment activities.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirms its earlier resolutions supporting more time for more learning, the most recent of which was in 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NAACP units will work aggressively at the local, state and federal levels to expand the school year and school day to increase the learning opportunities available to all students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon educational entities on all levels to improve teacher capability to use more creative methodology in expanding learning opportunities; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP units will work to expand the ways that time is used in schools, to accelerate learning, offer enrichment and workforce training; allow students to recover credit and incorporate community service learning into their studies for credit; and receive other services that expand their opportunities to learn.