2010 was a pioneering year for Massachusetts public schools. State leaders recognized that while the Commonwealth leads the nation in student achievement on national measures such as NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), more needed to be done to close the persistent achievement gaps between our wealthy and poor students. Combining a strong plan, a new reform law, and broad consensus, Massachusetts won a federal Race to the Top grant and set out to implement bold strategies to accelerate improvements. Innovative approaches to improving our schools are nothing new for Massachusetts. In 2005, inspired by the effective use of expanded time at many high-performing charter schools and a handful of district schools around the country, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) and non-profit Massachusetts 2020 launched a first-in-the-nation initiative for district schools to expand learning time for all of their students. That first year, ten schools in five districts stepped forward to participate. Their school leaders, teachers, parents and community partners understood that as the world changes, schools must evolve to prepare students for the opportunities and complexities of the 21st century, and that the traditional 6.5-hour school day is woefully insufficient. Five years later, the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative has grown to include over 10,500 students in 19 schools in nine districts, 78% of whom are low-income and all of whom benefit from an additional 300 hours of learning time across the school year. In 2010-11 ELT continues to thrive due to the persistence of participating schools and districts. It is managed through a unique public-private partnership between ESE and Massachusetts 2020, which share responsibility for oversight and support of the ELT Initiative. In this 2011 update, Massachusetts 2020 seeks to provide a brief snapshot of promising results and lessons learned. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For previous edition, "More Time for Learning: Promising Practices and Lessons Learned. Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative 2010 Progress Report," see ED534907.]