Governor Chris Sununu proclaimed January as Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) Month in New Hampshire! ELOs are credit-bearing learning experiences that happen outside of the traditional classroom. They provide limitless options to deeply explore fields of study and career paths that students are passionate about, including those that may not be available through their school curriculum, and may even provide an alternative pathway to fulfilling graduation requirements.
“The support of Governor Sununu and Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut in recognizing Extended Learning Opportunities as a viable, and valuable, option for New Hampshire’s learners is great,” Strafford Learning Center Extended Learning Opportunity facilitator Terrill Covey told Foster’s Daily Democrat. “Everybody knows the value that ELOs bring to public schools. But in alternative settings such as the Transition Support Center and Rochester Learning Academy, these opportunities have often been the difference between a student completing his or her education, and a student dropping out of school.
“I have worked with students who were struggling learners and seen them turn things around starting with an Extended Learning Opportunity. Access to another method of learning has literally changed their lives for the better and rekindled their interest in their own education.”
Check out this video to hear what students are saying about ELOs as part of Reaching Higher NH’s Ready in the 603! project:
ELOs are encouraging students to explore careers they never would have considered and are giving them the confidence to push themselves further. There’s plenty of data to confirm these stories. A two-year study of ELOs in New Hampshire conducted by Research for Action, found that ELOs are improving outcomes for a wide range of students – including the traditionally underserved. Students participating in at least one school-facilitated ELO were more likely than non-ELO takers to accumulate credits and be on track to graduate. Twelfth-grade students who participated in school-facilitated ELOs scored higher on the SAT and were more likely to enroll in college than non-ELO takers. Learn more about ELOs with our resources:
- Reaching Higher’s ELO resource page
- School-business partnership is helping this student kick-start his engineering career
- At Hinsdale’s Exhibition Day, real-world learning is on display
- Hinsdale ELO program recognized for advancing educational equity
- ELOs help to personalize learning and provide more opportunities in small rural schools
- Hypertherm and Fujifilm Dimatix provide Lebanon-area students with unique learning opportunities
- Ready in the 603: Opportunities for all students to have the future they want
- Spaulding seniors have high visibility opportunities at the national and local level through ELOs
