Expanded Learning Time Initiative

Launched in 2004, Massachusetts 2020’s Expanded Learning Time Initiative is reforming one of the most immutable features of American schools - the 180, 6-hour day calendar, which was originally developed to meet the needs of 19th century farmers.  Recognizing that the educational achievement gap will never be closed within the confines of the current (and antiquated) school day and year, we believe that schools should consider expanding the school day and year.  Children, especially those at risk, need more time to achieve proficiency in the standards-based curriculum that now defines public education.  All children also deserve the opportunity to experience enrichment programs such as the arts, music and sports.  Without more time, these vital activities will continue to be squeezed out of the school day.

For more information, click here or contact David Farbman at (617) 723-6747, ext. 3922 or david@mass2020.org.

For a list of our Expanded Learning Time Advisory Board Members, click here.

Boston’s After-School for All Partnership

In 2001, Massachusetts 2020 led the formation of Boston’s After-School for All Partnership, a five-year, $26 million funding collaborative to support the expansion of quality after-school and summer programming for children in Boston.  Boston’s After-School for All Partnership is the largest public-private partnership in Boston’s history dedicated to children, and includes fifteen funding partners who have committed to work together toward three goals: (1) expanding the availability of quality after-school programs for low income children in Boston by at least 5,000; (2) improving children’s academic achievement by helping after-school providers to integrate high-impact learning activities into their programs; and (3) supporting efforts to create sustainable public revenue sources to fund a system of quality after-school programs that help all children reach their potential.  The Partnership has launched five significant initiatives and in 2005, officially merged with the Mayor’s 2:00-to-6:00 After-School Initiative to become an independent 501 c(3) organization, Boston After School & Beyond.

For more information on Boston’s After-School for All Partnership, visit www.afterschoolforall.org.  For more information on Boston After School & Beyond, visit www.bostonbeyond.org.

School Sites Initiative (SSI)

To reach its ambitious target of providing 5,000 more children the opportunity to participate in after-school programs, in 2002, Boston’s After-School for All Partnership launched the School Sites Initiative (SSI).  The SSI, co-chaired by Massachusetts 2020 and The Boston Foundation, brings together eleven public and private funders to support the significant expansion of 17 of Boston’s school-based after-school programs.  The initiative responds to findings by McKinsey and Company that expanding existing after-school sites represents the most cost-efficient way to expand after-school programs in Boston.  SSI’s mid term report revealed that programs grew an average of 53% (now serving 600 more students) and experienced a 30% per child cost savings. Massachusetts 2020 is leading a new collaboration with Boston Public Schools to develop a plan for expanding the impact of this initiative. For a copy of the SSI mid-term report, visit http://www.mass2020.org/finalssicasestudy.pdf. 

For more information on the School Sites Initiative, click here or contact Jennifer Davis at (617) 723-6747, ext. 3923 or Jennifer@mass2020.org.

After-School Literacy Coaching Initiative (LCI)

Massachusetts 2020 designed and now manages for Boston’s After-School for All Partnership the After-School Literacy Coaching Initiative (LCI).  The LCI seeks to enable the integration of high-impact learning activities into programs by providing program staff across Boston the opportunity to participate in intensive on-site coaching from literacy experts over the course of a full school year.  Sites also receive curriculum materials and book collections to build and grow program libraries. The LCI operates through a collaboration of ReadBoston, Boston Plan for Excellence and Boston Public Schools, and the support of seven public and private funders.  The sites are also participating in a comprehensive evaluation measuring the impact of the coaching on after-school staff capacity and, in turn, on children’s engagement in learning activities and academic performance.  This initiative, launched in October of 2003, is supporting 21 after-school programs in Boston in the 2005-2006 school year. 

For more information on the After-School Literacy Coaching Initiative, click here or contact David Farbman at (617) 723-6747, ext. 3922 or david@mass2020.org.  

The Middle School Initiative

The Middle School Initiative, launched in 2002, is an innovative public-private partnership to expand after-school learning opportunities for middle-school children across Massachusetts.  The Middle School Initiative expands the nationally recognized Citizen Schools after-school apprenticeship model to communities throughout the Commonwealth.  In the last four years, we have opened eight programs in six communities, which are run by community organizations in schools.  The initiative has supported programs in Worcester, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Springfield and New Bedford.

Significant financial support for the Middle School Initiative comes from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, Massachusetts 2020 Foundation, the Amelia Peabody Foundation, and United Way organizations. Additional local resources are contributed by communities selected for the Middle School Initiative.  

For more information on the Middle School Initiative, click here or contact Susan Kirwan at (617) 723-6747, ext. 3921 or susan@mass2020.org.