By The Star Staff
Secretary of Education Yanira Raíces Vega on Monday announced the start of the “Our Extended School” (“Nuestra Escuela Extendida,” or NEExt) project, which will begin on Wednesday, with the goal of strengthening students’ skills and learning through extended hours.
The program is the continuation of the successful “Refuerzo Académica Extendido” (RAE), an initiative led by Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urritia, which has been key in improving students’ academic performance and supporting their comprehensive development outside of school hours.
The “Our Extended School” project seeks to complement school time by integrating the subjects of Spanish, English and mathematics with fine arts and physical education, covering 600 schools and benefiting an estimated enrollment of 50,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12). Pierluisi’s public policy promotes the extended-hour service as one of the strategies to improve students’ academic achievement and address their skills gaps.
“Once again, we are betting on support services for our students, offering extended hours to help them in their learning and skills development, while we work to close the academic gap,” Raíces Vega said. “The support of families is essential in this process, enrolling their children and collaborating with teachers to improve student performance. Teamwork will translate into better learning.”
The academic focus of the project will be on learning acceleration, ensuring that students master essential grade-level concepts and skills in core subjects. Additionally, the social-emotional component of the program will focus on prevention, minimizing the risk of academic, social, emotional or behavioral problems.
“This is a broad project that allows us to ensure that our children and youth receive specific academic support according to their needs in Spanish, English, and mathematics,” said Beverly Morro, deputy secretary for academic and programmatic affairs. “In addition, it strengthens mastery in these subjects by integrating fine arts and physical education, promoting their artistic and physical development. It also offers socio-emotional support, involving their families to enhance the comprehensive development of students, guaranteeing their well-being.”
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