When Thomas Edison heard his own voice on his never-before-tested phonograph, he was taken aback. "I was always afraid of things that worked the first time," he later remarked. Edison, among the greatest inventors of all time, expected to imagine, plan, design, troubleshoot, and improve countless times. Like all engineers, he understood that problem solving is a process. Understanding the design process is a core feature of technological literacy.

NCTL's goal is to integrate engineering as a new discipline in schools nationwide and to inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators. NCTL fosters learning about how technologies are created and used. It offers educational products and programs for pre-K-12 students and teachers, creates curricula, supports an online resource center, and engages in partnership and outreach with other institutions. NCTL works with state departments of education and teacher organizations to facilitate the re-engineering of curricula and learning standards.