Tennessee has joined five other states that are adding up to 300 hours of learning time to some school calendars next year hoping to boost student achievement and make U.S. schools more competitive globally. The states three-year pilot program will affect almost 20,000 students in 40 schools but Sullivan County director of schools Jubal Yennie says East Tennessee should not be affected. The state does have long term hopes of expanding the program with input from districts, parents and teachers. A combination of federal, state and district funds are expected to pay for the cost of expanded learning but concerns from teachers unions are still being voiced. Nationwide over 1-thousand schools already operate on expanded schedules which is an increase of 53 percent since 2009. (bg)