Through research and public policy, and technical assistance, NCTL supports national, state, and local initiatives that add significantly more school time for academic and enrichment opportunities to help all children meet the demands of the 21st century.
NCTL grew out of the work of a Boston-based nonprofit, Massachusetts 2020, which led the first statewide expanded learning time grant program in the country.
Chris Gabrieli, a civic and business entrepreneur, and Jennifer Davis, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, founded Massachusetts 2020 (Mass 2020) in 2000 out of concern that the traditional American school calendar did not provide students sufficient time for learning, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Initial efforts to provide more learning opportunities focused on expanding and strengthening after-school and summer programs for children across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
[2] In 2004, Mass 2020 partnered with a number of education and civic leaders to file an amicus brief[3] in connection with the Hancock v. Driscoll school financing case, in which they argued that equity for poor school children came not only in the form of providing more money to equalize opportunity, but also more learning time.
NCTL studies high-performing expanded-time schools and documents the key practices that contribute to their success through publications, webinars, convenings, and technical assistance sessions.