The Eli and Elythe Broad Foundation announced February 23 that it will donate $1.5 million to the National Center on Time and Learning, an organization striving to help public schools throughout the United States expand school days and calendars.
The money will help schools as they adopt calendars similar to nationally recognized charter schools. The NCTL believes it is not enough to lengthen school calendars; the time must be used effectively to ensure that American children receive education on par with the rest of the world, according to the organization.
"We must stop shortchanging our children. American students receive only a fraction of the academic time of many of their international counterparts. As a nation, we cannot afford to allow our children to be at a competitive disadvantage in the 21st century global economy," said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. "We are encouraged that a growing number of states and districts are choosing to modernize their school calendars, thanks to the Obama administration, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and the founders of NCTL, Jennifer Davis and Chris Gabrieli."
Similar organizations have began the initiative to expand the length of school days and provide enrichment activities for students after school and in the summer. Massachusetts 2020, founded by former gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrielli and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education Jennifer Davis, spearheaded the After-School for All Partnership, which provided public and private donations to fund after-school programs for public schools.
In his State of the Union Address on January 27, President Barack Obama remarked that massive education reforms are needed to increase standards at American schools as math and science expectations have fallen drastically in the U.S.
