Secretary of Education Pushes for Longer School Year

WASHINGTON, D.C. (YBH.ME) – Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has joined with the President in a desire to create a longer school year for public school students. Duncan, a former head of the Chicago school system, states “those hours from 3 o’clock to 7 o’clock are times of high anxiety for parents.” He continued, “They want their children safe. Families are working one and two and three jobs now to make ends meet and to keep food on the table.”

Education chief pushes for longer school year.

Duncan joined the President in stating that kids in Asian countries, that are currently out-competing the U.S., spend more time in school.

While it is true that kids in many other countries have more school days, it’s not true they all spend more time in school.

Kids in the U.S. spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the U.S. on math and science tests — Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the U.S. (180 days).

Some states already have a form of mandatory extended school in place. A Massachusetts program that costs an extra $1,300 per student, or 12 percent to 15 percent more than regular per-student spending, extends school days to polish up on core academics. The program received more than $17.5 million from the state Legislature last year. A Montgomery County, Md., summer program received $1.6 million in federal stimulus dollars to operate this year and next. It runs for only 20 days out of 90 summer days.

Neither the President or Mr. Duncan set a date for a formal plan to be presented to Congress.

Laura spent years as a Hollywood story analyst, did a big 180, and is now an entrepreneur focused on web marketing and analytics. She's also a mom of one.

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Post Published: 27 September 2009
Found in section: Politics

guest
“They want their children safe. Families are working one and two and three jobs now to make ends meet and to keep food on the table.” This statement has nothing to do with education! it is about providing govt paid for day care.
Kevin
Best news I have heard in a long time, I was educated for a long period in Ireland, when I came back here I skipped two years.
In Ireland the kids get 6 weeks vacation and the school day is 9-4:30PM. Lets be honest, more education is not a bad thing. Anyone that will tell you otherwise is either ignorant or pay for private school.

Frank
not ignorant, just wondering who is going to pay for it? You?

Jeremy
As most states are already strapped for cash how are we going to pay the extra teachers salary. What about the teachers that have young children at home. I guess they do not matter. Their children can be rasied by someone else. Come on people. It does not matter how long the kids are in school the majority are not going to care until the parents do and I do not see keeping kids in school longer is going to solve that problem
Kevin
Jeremy, in terms of education more is not less, more is actually more.
Re the teachers kids, I am a doctor; I do night shifts and at times I will not see my kids for 2 days. I accept that because that was the profession I chose.
Jeremy, you can come up with dozens of reasons for not doing this; I will give you the reason it should be done:
We are lagging behind India in terms of maths, this is India the 3rd world country btw.
Mary
Great. Government run daycare paid for with our tax dollars. The good quality education is important here – not quantity. It is becoming glaringly apparent that government run schools are not the best option for our children.
guest
I am a school teacher and I support the idea of a longer school year. that would provide more learning and better retention of skills. However, lengthening the school day I am against. A previous poster said they went to school from 9-4:30. My students start arriving to school at 7:20 some of my students are on buses by 6:15. The instructional day lasts from 7:45-2:45. I have to arrive at school no later than 7:30 so my personal children have to be at daycare no later than 7:15 each day. So if I extend my day by 3 hours my own children suffer and there will be an increase in teacher burn out because there is already little support in the school system as it is.
Guest
When is someone going to figure out that we are comparing apples and oranges. The test scores from Asia are from children who actually do well in school. If you don't make the grade you don't get a high school education. We think all of our children should go to college so everyone goes to high school. That's why we compare well with the rest of the world in the lower grades. These people need to spend a week with regular high school kids and then see if they say that a longer year will make a difference.
Guest
I agree with #7. Longer days equals more burn out for everyone, teachers and students alike.
And lets see 8 to 3, 9 to 4. Really what’s the difference? Not much. I think the typical 8 to 3 is just fine.
I also agree with #8. We don’t leave the non-producers behind, Japan does. We don’t leave children behind. So our scores reflect all the students in our system.
I think that shortening summer is not a bad idea. Most teachers are already paid throughout the year, so we would not have to pay them much more (I’m sure they would not like this though). Many students have a hard time retaining math and english over the summer to the next school year and they would benefit from a shorter summer.
Guest
Technically, teachers are not paid throughout the year. In my state we have the option of being paid during the school year or the entire year. So actually a teacher being paid the entire year in my district has chosen to have their check stretched out.
Steve
To what decade and to what economy is the secretary referring? I'm a public school teacher and most of my students' parents can't find 1 job, let alone 3!! In addition, most adults in my city are competing for the same jobs that my teen students are applying for. It does sound like glorified day care. I'm all for academic rigor and student accountability and competing with other countries. A longer school day is an idea. I support ideas as long as they WORK!!!!

Secretary of Education Pushes for Longer School Year

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