What…more school??
A recent article in Newsday discussed the issue of whether or not to extend school days and the calendar year. This idea was promoted in the “Nation at Risk” report during the Reagan administration. In 2009, President Obama is reconsidering the advice. Some charter schools have a school day that lasts nearly ten hours. There are educators and school reformers who believe that extending the amount of time in class is the only way to be competitive with other nations and to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. They also believe that the large amount of time spent out of school during summer vacation causes students to lose much of what they learned.
Children in Japan go to school for 243 days out of the year. They spend 195 days per year in school in Hong Kong and 200 days per year in Scotland. The U.S. spends only 180 days per year in school and President Obama has expressed concern that this current calendar “puts us at a competitive disadvantage.”
This is like a company saying, “If we make our workers stay one extra hour per day we will increase our productivity.” Time extensions are no guarantee of results. It is how our time is used and how motivated and inspired we are that leads to productivity in the classroom. Finland’s education system has achieved worldwide success with just 190 days of school per year. We need to focus on quality, not quantity. Quality involves active involvement from teachers, students, parents/guardians and the community. Teachers should not give children homework that they did not cover in class (in an attempt to keep up with standardized test material), students should not be afraid to ask questions when they do not understand the material presented and parents have a real obligation to be available to their children by helping with homework (whenever possible) and by reading to them. The community should be aware of their geographically specific needs and find ways to meet them.
Success achieved at charter schools, with longer school days and longer calendar years, like the KIPP network, stress hard work and family involvement. However, let’s not forget the importance of successful classroom management, so much time is wasted without it. This is the key to improved results, not just more time to pass notes, doodle, or stare off into space. There is no guarantee that additional school hours, as well as a few hours of homework each night will lead to increased learning. When will children have the time to be kids, expanding their fertile ability to explore and imagine? Do we really want to risk teenage burnout? Let’s keep kids eager to engage and develop for their “working adult” future.
Before we decide to increase hours and days, we should look at the structure of the school day. Are the students getting the most out of the time they are in school? Is a high level education/curriculum being provided? What types of support programs are available during the school year? If there is so much concern about the loss of student knowledge that occurs during the summer vacation, then let’s address that problem specifically, perhaps even randomly, to see if we get improved results. We should ensure that every effort has been made to provide the best education we can for our students within our current system before we decide to extend the time spent in a system that may be lacking. You cannot force a student to learn, and chances are they will not be so willing and eager to learn if we take away their summer vacations!
References:
Nytimes.com
FOXNews.com
35 responses so far ↓
dmckillen // October 20, 2009 at 9:01 pm |
I think that making the school day longer or extending the year and taking away part of the summer vacation is a bad idea. As someone who has worked in a school for the past three years I could not imagine the day or year being any longer than it is (185 days in my district). When June comes around, students and teachers are physically and emotionally drained and the only thing keeping them going is the thought that summer vacation is just around the corner. How many times towards the end of the year do we see classes watching movies, or playing games, or doing silent reading? Both students and teachers, already spend enough time at school, the problem is making productive use of the time. I would be less apposed to shortening the school day and “trimming the fat” on the curriculum, so we can focus on the most important of topics. 185 days is plenty!
gioannou // October 21, 2009 at 6:48 pm |
it is interesting to note that the in the U.S. the child spends 180 average days in school and the adult averages about 2 weeks for vacation whereas in Europe the children go to school longer but the adults take 4 to 6 week s off for holiday. are they making up for all that school time? Hmmm. I agree that quality is definitely more important than quantity; perhaps if society as a whole took a stand towards poor behavior, students and adults alike would start to be more respectful of educators, causing educators to treat their charges more seriously. the expression “those who can do, those who can’t teach.” shows the poor opinion of teachers and teaching as a vocation on the whole. when did we move away from Dewey’s idea of the teacher ushering the kingdom of heaven towards the teacher becoming the worthless babysitter? parents and society must step up to the plate in order to rein in poor student attitudes; we must hearken to the day when a delinquent was frowned upon, not looked at as an individual who is just expressing themselves. yes, I agree with this article whole-heartedly, attitude and quality not quantity must prevail.
tammytav3687 // October 22, 2009 at 4:08 am |
I think our school systems work just fine for our students. If our schools can just focus on time management in the classrooms and take away some of these standardized testing quotas, there would be more time for learning. I also believe that a radical change like this would not work in America today. Could you imagine telling a 9th grader in high school that next year they would be going to school for a month longer and for more school hours in a day? The dropout rate would sky rocket through the roof. Children need time to be children; I believe summer vacation is a crucial time for their development. Yes these students may lose some of their learned knowledge, but over time if you force more school days and hours on children it will burn out the students and teachers. I think charter schools like the KIPP schools are absurd and it would not work in every community across the United States. Our school systems across America are so used to a 9-3 day that anything longer probably would not work. You would have to restart society all over to implement such a thing.
mmorrissey86 // October 22, 2009 at 4:41 pm |
I agree with the article that it is about quality not quantity. I too think that there is plenty of time to cover material, it just depends on how the teachers use that time. The first writer commented saying that the only thing that keeps teachers going is the thought of summer vacation. I totally agree. Teachers and students are both physically and emotionally drained by the end of the school year. Kids need time to be kids.
Ont he other hand, the charter schools that were discussed in the article like KIPP, i think are a good thing. The students are the ones that want to commit to a school like that. They ahve the choice to go. I also agree that a school like KIPP would not work in every community but they do work well in lower income communities. It helps students stay off the streets and focus on their bright futures.
The last thing i wanted to comment on is that the writer says “parents have a real obligation to be available to their children by helping with homework (whenever possible) and by reading to them. The community should be aware of their geographically specific needs and find ways to meet them.” I think parents do have the obligation to their children but lets not forget what most households are like. Both parents work long days and to come home at 5 or 6pm cook dinner, relax for 10 min and then start homework with their child is an exhausting task.
demitra008 // October 23, 2009 at 4:00 am |
I agree that the quality of curriculum and instruction is more significant then the quantity of time spent in school. Increasing the school year does not guarantee that students will perform better. There are several other factors that need to be taken into consideration for example poverty or under-resourced schools. Are students who live in poverty able to function to their full potential in the school setting? Is it fair that some school districts are under-resourced? Instead of looking for solutions by comparing our school system to other countries wouldn’t it be better to ask our own educators, parents, and students what they think the system lacks and how could it be improved. As the article points out there needs to be “active involvement” and collaboration between “teachers, students, parents/guardians and the community.” Only then will change occur for the better.
tsaul07 // October 23, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
I agree with this article that time extensions in a school year are not an accurate guarantee of higher performance results. I don’t think extending school days by eliminating a child’s summer will put us more at an advantage when competing with students in other countries. Instead, I think President Obama needs to look critically at Americas education system and narrow in on why the United States appears to be at a disadvantage when comparing students of the same age to students in Japan, Scotland , etc.. Narrowing in on what the American education system is based upon, such as standardized testing and finding out if we are truly benefitting from this approach. You don’t just add more school days in a year so all the requirements are taught and met. You must improve the curriculum and find ways in engaging the students, so they can comprehend the material better. As stated in the group blog motivation is what leads us to productivity in the classroom. If the students have a desire to learn, not only will test scores improve but knowledge will be gained.
aek32087 // October 24, 2009 at 7:12 pm |
This was a great article to read!
I agree that the quality of education is more important than the quantity. Teachers and students need summers off to recooperate and relax. Americans are very stressed out as it is. Therefore, making school days longer and extending the school year will not help. Teachers need to motivate and engage their students in creative ways to allow for learning to occur.
jacklynbreit // October 25, 2009 at 2:48 am |
I think it is important that students get the much needed education they deserve so that this generation can catch up to the technologies of other countries. But I also believe that pushing them harder will not help them later on in life. If the government believes students should go to school longer, then maybe looking at the other educational systems of other countries would help to better organize and strategize how our educational system should be run.
kathrynfitz // October 25, 2009 at 3:32 am |
I have to agree that I think quality rather than quantity is important in the classroom but I like the idea of longer school days and years for one specific reason, I think it keeps children out of trouble. Some children do not have a good environment to go home to and I think having more involved schools such as the charter schools like KIPP helps underserved children and can really benefit them in the long run. And I know it is easy for me to say now, as I’m almost finished with my school career, sure have longer days but for those who dread it maybe it’s because school always seemed like a drag and maybe that should show us that it’s time to make a change in the classroom…spice things up a bit and get children to want to learn and want to be in school to benefit themselves. And letting kids be kids doesn’t seem to be the case in a world where children are constantly desensitized by the media and other mediums why not prepare them for the real world when in a few years they’ll be expected to be constantly overwhelmed by college classes and professional careers.
jbalsan13 // October 25, 2009 at 5:59 pm |
If you asked me to read this article about eight years ago, I would have automatically shut down the longer days/school year. The old me would have said that longer days would mean less student attention and less learning on their part. Fast forward to me in the present and I think that it might just be what kids need. As I observe in the classroom, I notice just how hard it is to teach a lesson to students. The sixth grade class I observe in has a Spanish lesson twice a week. The teacher has 45 minutes to do the lesson. She came in at 11:10, finally got the class to settle down at 11:30, and then lost 18 of the students to Project Extra at 11:45. I don’t necessarily think that a longer school year would benefit students as much as just extending the school day. Both students AND teachers need that break to collect themselves and re-charge. I think that by extending the school day, more could be taught curriculum wise, it would also prepare students for the real world of the job force (with most jobs carrying 9-5 hours), and it would also keep kids off the streets. This wouldn’t work unless teachers were willing to put in the extra time though.
lagerakaris // October 25, 2009 at 7:17 pm |
Quality over Quantity. Kids are encouraged to keep up with summer reading and review in the summer, but it is also a time for them to experience difference things in their lives, that i believe is apart of their education process as well. It may not be academic, but it adds to their overall education process.
alyssatesoriero // October 25, 2009 at 10:53 pm |
I think it is important for children to have a summer vacation. Although there are advantages of extending the school day and year there are disadvantages. Children need to experience social interactions, outside of the classroom. I think it is vital for children to play sports, participate in extra curricular activities and get involved with clubs which would be more difficult if they have a longer school day. By extending the school day, educators are limiting these activities which could be detrimental to a child.
lisapratt17 // October 26, 2009 at 3:43 pm |
“What? More School?” Raises several valuable points. Extending the school year is not a panacea for curing all of schooling’s ills. Education is not the equivalent of playing a video game; time spent cramming in knowledge does not advance you to the next level.
We have to stop looking for mandates to clean up what is clearly under our control. For example, libraries are an under-utilized, free resource in communities that can help prevent summer brain drain and develop habits that can last a lifetime. Most districts offer summer reading clubs; they encourage reluctant readers and reward them for their efforts. There are games and books to help retain and advance foreign language skills; many districts offer free parenting workshops focused on helping children succeed in the classroom. Reference librarians are available in person and online to recommend books or answer questions.
Parents spend hours with their children in libraries when they are pre-schoolers; perhaps it is time to re-visit this valuable resource.
medowit26 // October 26, 2009 at 7:49 pm |
My opinion on this matter, is completely one-sided. I do not believe extending the school day and/or the calendar year will provide students with a better education. I mean, extending the school day by an hour or two will just produce exhausted students.
This quote, “Time extensions are no guarantee of results. It is how our time is used and how motivated and inspired we are that leads to productivity in the classroom,” really sums it up. Motivation is key, and there has to be a way to get these students in that state-of-mind to excel.
The more people these students are surrounded with, who are willing to help keep that motivation high, the more likely the students will want to succeed.
I understand that there are other countries who have a longer day of school or more days out of the year to go to school who are more successful, but that does not mean that is the reason why there are successful. That is just the way those countries run and they have been doing so for hundreds of year.
I just feel that completely changing the way students are educated here in the United States by the length of time they are in school, will not fix “the problem” of motivation.
kkind // October 27, 2009 at 3:11 am |
I agree with several of the posts that it is the quality of the curriculum and effective time management that will make the United States 180 days of school equal to the longer school years of other nations. It is the quality of education, not the quantity of educational days.
bns129 // October 27, 2009 at 12:57 pm |
Compared to other countries, the US educational standards have fallen and we have lost our “competitive edge”. This issue of extending the school day and/or cutting back on summer vacation is not a new idea. This is a valid idea that requires serious consideration and shouldn’t be dismissed so quickly.
Extending the school day or cutting back on the long summer vacation are simply two paths for educators to consider. This is not an issue of quality vs. quantity. Increasing time in school should never be seen as a “waste of time”. Educators have devoted much time discussing how schools are cutting back essential programs, like music, gym and art. Adding more hours to the day would directly address this issue. President Obama’s proposal is a good one.
There is a lot of pressure to keep things the same. Teachers and administrators don’t want to lose their summer vacation and of course prefer the shorter days. Perhaps educators should look at alternatives to raising the level of standards in this country. In other countries, gifted and talented programs have more than adequate funding whereas in this country our aim has not been directed towards enriching these gifted students. Tracking is currently viewed in a negative way and our current aim appears to be focused more on making sure all students get fair and equal treatment in schools.
The words diligence and hard work do not appear often enough in regard to education. There will be no results w/o these two. What happened to our work ethic? Achievement and success come from persistence and high expectations.
jamsmar // October 28, 2009 at 10:49 pm |
The authors of this article hit the nail right on the head. The school day should be about quality, not quantity. If you are in the the class room just going through the motions of the day, and just using time-fillers, and preparing homework but not taking the time to make sure your students understand the material, then you might as well not have a school day at all, and no amount of extra time will change those results.
debbieali // October 29, 2009 at 11:56 pm |
The idea of expanding the schho day and the school year are bit new, There has been talk about this on and off for years. Locan school districts, akthough they have a say, the federal government would have to enact the law stating it. Everyone is entitled to a quality education but at what price. Many believe that American students lag behind those in other countries, but at what price will the kids have to pay? Many don’t get home until after 4 pm now and by the time they get their homework done, it’s after 6 or 7pm. They do need some down time or they’ll burn out and dislike school. Summer vacations should stay the same and as far as school on Saturday–many kids will say forget it. They need time to just be a kid and have fun because becomming an adult and having the responsibilities will come faster than the blink of an eye.
difi74 // October 30, 2009 at 1:27 am |
I am slightly on the fence about this issue. I agree that by extending the amount of time children spend in school, whether it be by adding extra hours to the day or days to the school year , could very likely cause students, as well as teachers to become overwhelmed and burn out. I think it is very important for children to still have time to be kids, have fun, and engage in social and extracurricular activities that they enjoy. By increasing time spent on academics in the classroom, we run the risk our our students missing out on opportunities to be creative and engage in the other non academic activities that help shape who they are. I do not feel that increasing the day will lead to an increase in productivity. If students become tired and lose motivation, then I would think that their productivity would actually decrease. How motivated can students be after an 8 hour school day.
I agree with the authors of this article that we must focus on the quality of education and time management. Rather than increasing hours, we must find ways to improve upon the already exsisting structure and I think that child, parent, teacher, and community involvement is one way to achieve this.
The reason I initially said I was on the fence is because I do feel that 2 long months of summer vacation can definitely cause students to regress, forget knowledge, and fall behind. As a prospective teacher, I, of course, love the idea of having two months vacation, but at the same time, do wonder if the long break hurts the students. I remember hearing in a previous class of an idea that was discussed where students go to school for 45 days and then have off for 15 to shorten the gaps between school days. I actually think this may not be such a bad idea. Students and teachers are still getting ample time off to avoid student or teacher burnout, yet the break time is not long enough to interfere with what the students have retained.
skennedy101 // October 30, 2009 at 7:18 pm |
I agree. Long hours doesn’t mean that children will learn more or not. It’s what is being taught and how it’s being taught are the things that really matter. Kids y nature want to do other things then going to school. It’s our job as teachers to reach the kids, keep them interested, and have fun doing it that will keep the children motivated to keep on learning. Children are already under lots of stress from a very young age. It’s good that they get their vacations. Children will be working their whole lives and will be having long work hours as adults. Remember kids need the timme to be kids too.
kkcassidy // November 1, 2009 at 10:57 pm |
I love the topic of this article, because I myself am an advocate for longer school days. I agree that in the educational field, we in America are far behind other nations such as Switzerland for example. Children in Switzerland attend school for more hours, more days a year, and are far more educationally advanced than we are. I also agree that long vacations such as summer, do cause students to lose some of what us teachers have worked so hard for them to learn during the school year. Althought I am an advocate for quantity, I believe that we also need to concentrate on quality as well. Both work hand in hand, the more time we have in school with our students the more we will be able to teach them, and the more detailed we can get in the curriculum. I do not believe that we should take away students summer vacations. However, I do believe that we should manage the time spent in the actual classroom. I believe adding an hour on to the school day would be beneficial for both students, teachers and parents. Also I believe a full 2 months is not so necessary, maybe a month and a half would be more beneficial. It is still a large vacation time, yet it is not as much time for students to lose their previously learned knowledge.
tkpowers // November 1, 2009 at 11:08 pm |
i feel that extending the school day and increasing the school year isn’t going to make school more fun or interesting for student. i feel that if the school days are prolonged children will lose interest more then they already have. for me i have trouble sitting still in just one class these children are young and are not going to want to be in a classroom setting more then they have to. i honestly feel the schools could be shorter because usually after lunch is when teacher get the least amount of work accomplished. What this really comes down to is that we need to have the most qualified teachers in the classroom and keep children engaged in what they are learning.
merp08 // November 2, 2009 at 5:10 am |
I feel that this article brings up some good ideas and reasons why they should not extend the school day and class time during summer vacation. I also agree that quality is more important the quantity, but we are also dealing with a society where in most children go home to a house where both parents work, or they go to one kind of after school program. Maybe extending the day an hour and seeing what difference that makes in the lives and academics of the children before getting into multiple hours and summer vacation. I think making everyone more involved with the learning process is a good idea, maybe the parents could have phone conferences with every parent at least once a month so they can stay in touch and know what’s going on inside school and at home.
graciet2 // November 3, 2009 at 4:30 pm |
I think extending the school year is a terrible idea. Like the article stated, it’s quality, not quantity that counts. Also children are so stressed out already with so many after school activities, they don’t need additional stress.
Although extending the school time may work in a school such as KIPP, it’s not realistic for city schools. This is because the students that attend KIPP sign a contract, along with their parents. They want the longer day and will be committed to it. Extending school time in city schools would most likely cause the dropout rate to go even higher.
Extending the time is not getting to the root of the problem. Time management, student motivation, making the curriculum more appealing, and working with families and communities seem to be the ways to improve student’s achievement. The government can use the funds they were going to use to extend the day and year to educate school teachers and administrators how best to address this issue.
shaneflanagan // November 3, 2009 at 6:31 pm |
I feel this article makes some decent points about the school day of American education institutions. At the end of it all, it is all about quality teaching by quality teachers and extending the hours that students are exposed to poor teaching by poor teachers is not going to have the drastic impact we need.
What we really need is improved curriculums that motivate and stimulate students. Curriculums based around students learning strategies that will get the most out of their students. There is now guarantee that lengthening the school day will improve test scores and there is now guarantee that improving curriculums will improve test scores but what I can guarantee is that the majority of teachers would agree that the lather will have make more of an impact.
jesscannella // November 4, 2009 at 1:46 am |
I felt the article raised interesting points, in that education is about quality, not quantity. The better a teacher, school, resources, assignments, etc (the list goes on and on) the better the overall experience will be for students. So long as the quality is good, the students will be able to to create memorable learning experiences where they will better internalize information.
azack329 // November 4, 2009 at 4:59 pm |
I agree that quality rather than quantity is important in the classroom. I don’t think extending school days by eliminating a child’s summer will put us more at an advantage when competing with students in other countries. Regular school hours allow an individual to acquire a personal identity and learn the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate which is an integral part of succeeding in this world.
However I do feel that the idea of longer school days and years can help keep children from low income areas out of trouble. Some children do not have a good environment to go home to and I think having more involved schools such as the charter schools like KIPP can really benefit children in the long run. However, the “more time” pillar of KIPP is way too extreme. With school ending at 5:00 pm during the week, every other Saturday, and for three weeks in the summer they are lacking fundamental socialization experiences.
Changing the way students are educated in the United States by the length of time they are in school, will not fix anything. Communities should not rely on outside charter schools in order to reach out to high needs poverty stricken children. Instead the schools in the community should review the budget to make existing public schools better and get the necessary items for students to succeed.
clovaton // November 8, 2009 at 10:38 pm |
I think the school year should be extended, not the school day itself and less consecutive vacation time would be beneficial so students minds could remain fresh. In order for the United States to stay in competition with the rest of the countries on the globe, parents should get involved and monitor their children’s activities after school.
niasia // November 9, 2009 at 2:51 am |
As a current teacher I do not think that the school days should be extended. I do think that some of the standardized tests should lighten up on the material it covers. If the people who make up the exams take closer looks at what it is that they are sometimes asking of their students they could maybe just trim the tests down just a little. Teaching is difficult in every aspect. At the same time it is the most rewarding feeling when you know that you are responsible for another human being’s learning. Teaching is also the most tirering job I have ever had. Im in by 730 and out by 315. And I am sure that by then the students are tired as well. So no I do not think that the school days should be lengthened, but instead lets trim these exams and then see where we are. We should not be trying to compete against another country in education anyways. But that is just my opinion.
hbloom4 // November 9, 2009 at 5:51 pm |
Children NEED their summer! Not to mention so do the teachers! Realistically the performance of both the teachers as well as the students will drop. Neither of whom will want to be there. In order to raise performance of test scores it would make sense to address the curriculum not the amount of time in the school year. First address the main issue which is preparing the students to succeed. What they are being taught is not the only thing that affects the students’ performance. Outside factors such as needing a break AKA: summer vacation!
alejandro // November 9, 2009 at 7:16 pm |
I truly believe in “It is how our time is used and how motivated and inspired we are” from the article. I believe that the learning problem that children go through now days involves everyone, from parents, teachers, to administrators and districts. I also believe that children play too much around and parents many times know it and don’t do anything to stop the behavior of the child toward his/her education. Also, there are some teachers that are lazy, sorry to say it, but it is true. They don’t engage children with activities that motivate them to learn. Besides that, the districts expects that teachers do miracles with all the datelines and hard to accomplish curriculum without realizing that teachers are dealing with so many different learners and have to help them all. I don’t know what the best answer for the problem is, but we have to start by looking inside each of us first.
bigberg1 // November 12, 2009 at 12:45 am |
I agree with some of the previous posts on this blog. There is not enough time in the current school day to be able to cram all of the information that is required by the state into our student’s heads. While we are supposed to follow the state mandated standards of educational requirements, teachers are faced with many hurdles daily.
The typical school day starts at 9:15am and by the time the pledge of allegiance and lunch menu is completed, it is almost 20 minutes later. Settling the class down and starting the daily lessons, pull outs for special services, and constant interruptions continually delay the curriculum of the day. Can all of the lessons be taught in a 6 hour day? I do think that there should be longer school days; however I am very much in favor of having children enjoy their spare time during the summer break. Maybe there should be less days off for conferences and elections, and purely having vacation periods and summer break.
Could my opinion change when I am a full time teacher? We shall see.
lrankin01 // November 23, 2009 at 2:05 am |
This is a very interesting topic, and an issue that many of us care about, both as educators and parents. I do think that it is important for the US to be intelectually competitive, however, at what cost? In an ideal world, all teachers would have superior curriculum, and all parents would have tons of time to help their kids with homework, but this is not realistic. Perhaps the answer is to reach out to parents and families in each district, and see what is lacking. Maybe longer school days will work in one area, but not in another?
csingh // November 23, 2009 at 7:56 pm |
Students as well as teachers need their summer vacation. I think for students the summer can be a time to learn things outside of the classroom. This can be through travel. Students that do have the opportunity to travel can learn things about places in this country and maybe other countries. Many students are unhappy about going to school as it stands today. If we want to improve our student’s education I don’t feel that extending the school day is where we should look. I feel that the problem is what the focus is on while the students are in school. We are too focused on tests and test scores. It is the material that is getting lost. There is more that the student’s need to learn besides what is just on these tests.
vgill19 // November 24, 2009 at 4:35 am |
Adding more days onto a school year has nothing to do with increasing the quality of education. Creative curriculum and energized teachers are much more effective than just adding hours onto a day. Reduction of standardized tests would free up valuable classroom time for expansion and depth of curriculum. A review of the school day and improving on its’ efficiency might be something to be considered. Also, in this financially strapped economy, where is the money going to come from for this extended day? Teachers salaries will have to be increased in addition to other expenses that will be incurred. To many variables in this extension to effectively increase the quality of education.
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