Editorial

Good idea, bad timing for longer school days, years

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

It's a good idea, but probably couldn't have been proposed at a worst time.

The reason, as usual, is money.

President Obama is calling for kids to be in school longer each day, and longer each year, in an effort to give American students the preparation they need to compete overseas student.

There is good reason.

Most American schools hold class for 180 days a year, and the average students gets about 1,145 hours of classroom instruction.

Proponents of change contend that the current school calendar is outdated, having been in use since agrarian times when kids were needed to work on the family farm over the summer.

Schools like Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, where students consistently beat American test scores, keep kids in school for fewer hours -- about 1,050 -- but longer years, 190 to 200 days.

Obama wants all schools to hold classes for three hours longer each day, have weekend classes for kids in poor neighborhoods, and reduce the length of time for summer vacations.

Obama won't win many popularity contests with the proposals, probably not even with his daughters.

But, as an eduinreview.com blog points out, more class time usually translates into higher scores, as charter schools have proven by using it to beat schools that adhere to the traditional school day.

Yes, implementing an extended school year will cost more money at a time when schools are having a hard time finding enough money to maintain their current budgets, let alone increase them.

Still, if we want to be competitive in the long run, we will need to find ways to invest more time and, yes, money into our children's education.

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