© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Commission to Examine Opportunities to Expand Learning in Colorado

ELO will take traditional classroom learning and combine it with technology and community outreach
creative commons
ELO will take traditional classroom learning and combine it with technology and community outreach

A movement in Colorado may result in expanded school days and years in the state.

The Expanded Learning Opportunities Commission started work late last year, first looking at ways to expand the education experience through creative and innovative community partnerships and through increased use of technology.  Next week the commission will meet with 4 Denver metro-area school districts to examine ways to expand learning time in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.  That could mean a variety of things.

“The use of technology and blended learning, which is combining online learning experiences with in-classroom experiences for students,” says Helayne Jones, president of the Colorado Legacy Foundation and a member of the commission, “it’s looking at flexible school days. Many districts throughout the country have looked at ways to structure their school week so that not every day runs on the same time schedule. ”

And, says Jones, looking at ways that calendars can be expanded.  The commission will meet on Monday with the Aurora, Denver, Boulder Valley and Adams 12 districts to discuss expanded learning.  This is the first such workshop, and Jones says others will likely follow in different areas of the state.  

The commission will release a report and recommendations to the state board of education and lawmakers sometime in early summer.