In partnership with the Massachusetts Legislature, Governor, and many other leaders from around the state, Massachusetts 2020’s efforts helped to launch the Massachusetts ELT Initiative—the country’s single-most important public policy effort helping schools to add time and redesign how they approach teaching and learning. From its beginning as a $500,000 state planning grant program in 2005, Massachusetts 2020 has helped to grow ELT into a $14 million initiative that has allowed 19 schools serving more than 10,500 students to rebuild their educational program with 300 additional hours per year.

Massachusetts 2020 fills a critical role in the design, planning, and implementation of the ELT Initiative. With the support of private funding, our organization is an influential advocate for expanding time, provides direct support to schools through a customized Technical Assistance Program, and works in close partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE).

This presentation will focus on lessons learned from Massachusetts 2020’s experience helping to articulate and refine expectations and indicators for implementation of the initiative since 2005. Tools and supports for schools about how to think about the use of time will also be described.