Obama Proposes Longer School Days, Extended School Year

[Foxrac]

Welcome to the evolution of techology...

What are you talking? Japan has long school years for many years, nothing is new.

I don't think you are aware of alot of poor regulation and overcrowded school in America.

There's some great school in America, they are closer or equal to Europe or Japan's standard but they still have shorter school days.

 

[jillio]

Embarrassingly enough, this is quite true. Alot of our students cant even tell where Russia is on the map as well.

Just go to Alaska and look!

 

[jillio]

First of all, since when is it the duty of the President to propose anything about our public schools? Please show me in the Constitution where this is one of his duties.

One size does not fit all when it comes to schools.


How many hours per day, days per year did Obama attend school?

How many hours per day, days per year did our NASA scientists, computer hardware and software designers, entrepreneurs, inventors, etc., attend school prior to the 70's?

If the quantity of school time increases, is that a guarantee that the quality of schools will improve? Or will it just be more hours of the same-old, same-old? Will the kids be alert late into the afternoon?


I guess he doesn't have enough to keep him busy as President, so he's decided to get involved with schools.



Yes, the government would love to have more hours of influence over our precious children.



I thought our economy and universal health care were his hot-list priorities; oh, and that pesky war over there.



Maybe he should be Secretary of Education instead of President and Commander in Chief?


Specifically, how would longer hours and more days resolve those problems?

How will longer hours at school develop a love for reading in the Wii generation?


What exactly happened to the curriculum, and what would be done to "rebuild" it?


The stimulus money will provide the increase in pay for how long?


For how long?


I thought they couldn't read and use a map. How will newer technologies resolve those problems? How did students manage to read and use maps in the past before technology was available?



Are we sure that adding a couple months of school will do all that?

Do we know how much it will cost to pay teachers, administration, and maintenance staff for those extra weeks? How much will it cost to air condition the schools thru the summer? How much will it cost to heat and AC the schools during longer school days? How dark will it be when kids go to school and come home? Will teachers experience burn out? When will teachers have time to get their advanced degrees? If high school students can't get summer jobs to pay for their college, what will they do? Will this plan be mandatory or will each school board decide whether or not to adopt it?

The Federal Government doesn't have anything to do with the public school system? Someone better tell them that.

So, improved education is only worthwhile if it doesn't cost anything? Nice priorities.

 

[jillio]

Actually before he became our President, he stated one of his major goals is to improve education for the children which he believes is very important to our country's future. So he kept his word and showed us that he is doing something about it.

Go watch the old tapes or something...if you have it. lol

Exactly. In fact, his educational platform was one of the things that people agreed with highly.

And, if education isn't the President's concern, what's up with Bush's NCLB legislation?

 

[Jolie77]

Here's something to think about -- The trend of the education level.

Question:
What are the trends in the educational level of the United States population?

Response:
In 2007, some 87 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds had received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. Although this percentage increased 7 percentage points between 1971 and 1976, the high school completion rate has remained between 85 and 88 percent over the last 30 years.

In 1971, a lower percentage of Blacks than Whites completed high school (59 vs. 82 percent). Between 1971 and 1982, the gap between Blacks and Whites decreased 15 percentage points to 8 percentage points, but since 1982 the gap has been between 4 and 10 percentage points. In 2007, the high school completion rate for Blacks was still below that of Whites (88 vs. 93 percent). The high school completion rate for Hispanics increased between 1971 and 2007 (48 vs. 65 percent). Unlike the gap between Blacks and Whites, the gap between Hispanics and Whites fluctuated but was not measurably different in 2007 than in 1971.

The rate at which 25- to 29-year-olds completed at least some college education increased from 34 to 58 percent between 1971 and 2007. However, increases in the rate were not consistent throughout this period. The rate increased during the 1970s, leveled off during the 1980s, and increased in the 1990s. Since the late 1990s, the rate has leveled off again. For each racial/ethnic group, the percentage completing at least some college was higher in 2007 than 1971. However, the rate of increase was lower for Hispanics than for Whites or Blacks. In 2007, about 66 percent of White 25- to 29-year-olds had completed at least some college, compared with 50 percent of their Black peers and 34 percent of their Hispanic peers.

In 2007, some 30 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds had completed a bachelor's degree or higher. In most years, about half as many 25- to 29-year-olds had completed a bachelor's degree or higher as had completed at least some college. Between 1971 and 1996, the percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher increased from 17 to 27 percent. Although this change represents an increase of 10 percentage points, the rate has remained between 27 and 30 percent since 1996. While the percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds with a bachelor's degree or higher increased for all three racial/ethnic groups, the gaps between Whites and their Black and Hispanic peers widened between 1971 and 2007.

Source: Fast Facts

 

[pek1]

My step-cousin who is a teacher in Colorado told me that the school board there approved to add 70 minutes to the school day. What she was so pissed off was that they arent planning on increasing teacher pay or give teacher more comp time. To me that is JUST SO wrong! If teacher's pay arent increased, and this gets approved nationwide, we will see a teacher shortage crisis.

To be equally pragmatic, shel, you're just a little younger than I am, but when we went to school, we had to work for good grades. The A's and B's that students are receiving today are equal to the C's and D's we got when we were that age.

By the way, a teacher friend of my brother's had said that, not me.

When I was a kid, school started the Thursday before Labor Day, one month for Christmas and the school year ended the first week in June.

 

[pek1]

Food for thought:

How come we don't hear about shootouts in other countries and their schools? Not saying this never happened, but it seems rare on US news.

And in USA it's apparently really common? Feels like we have all the attention. What's the deal?

It's because, naisho, the kids in the USA have A LOT of time on their hands, which is why they know more about sex than anywhere else in the world.

 

[Jiro]

It's because, naisho, the kids in the USA have A LOT of time on their hands, which is why they know more about sex than anywhere else in the world.

and also.... ever seen our tv shows lately?

 

[pek1]

. . . And Milwaukee can get very frigid, would you make your child freeze his or her ass off walking the two miles to and from school in -10 weather? . . . I know because I lived in Minnesota for 5 years!

My mother did when she was a little girl. Two miles one way. All sorts of weather. Your children can handle it. My mother's house was also heated with a wood burning stove and that's how her mother cooked, even when it's hot.

Since you're complaining of the heat in Taxes, why stay there? Especially with the gang trash can kids?

 

[pek1]

Maybe it's because you've been reading the USA newspapers and not other countries' newspapers? Hmm? Ever think about how the USA newspapers talk more about the USA more than about other countries? THIS IS THE FUCKING USA!

GO READ A NEWSPAPER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY! Then come back and tell us!

Lucia,

The newspapers here in the states are written at a seventh grade reading level because our schools are teaching kids (your generation and younger) at that level. The schools are dumbing down the kids and, as I said previously, the A's and B's today are equal to my generations C's and D's.

Now, what's this about the ******* USA you're talking about? You make it sound like our shit don't stink? Maybe that's the problem. Go drive your American car and brag how good they are when in reality they're crap and going bankrupt.

 

[pek1]

and also.... ever seen our tv shows lately?

Yeah. They add laugh tracks because they want us to laugh at their lousy writing.

 

[pek1]

In my opinion, I think the school year should go year-round. There are way too many vacation days during the school year as it is.

It's funny that the kids in the USA are taught to respect other cultures, especially when those people come to the USA. They don't respect us, but we have to respect them. Go figure.

I don't see a problem with keeping the days off the same, but the sports programs need to be tightened, if not eliminated. If kids want sports, there are community centers all across the nation that offer these. Schools are for educating, not for sports.

Teachers have too many problem students in classrooms. I would favor the Socratical method of teaching to weed those students who want to be there from those who are wasting everyone's time.

Teachers also need to focus on teaching children, not on being "teachers." Big difference!

And get rid of those damn unions that want to "protect" lousy teachers!

 

[webexplorer]

Well, Japan and USA are so different because of the social, culture and money. It seems a good idea to increase the school days, but I strongly believe that it will NOT make any improvement for American schools because many teachers are not doing a good job. In fact, many parents are not well teaching their kids. i.e. They need to learn how to take care of their own financial, credit cards, retirement, and savings. Our government and banks have too many corruption. i.e. The banks like to hurt their customers by messing up their credit cards or others.

Many big corporations are paying several teachers in colleges to follow what the companies want them to teach the students so that they would get a job at these companies. I don't know about Japan's way.

 

[jillio]

Well, Japan and USA are so different because of the social, culture and money. It seems a good idea to increase the school days, but I strongly believe that it will NOT make any improvement for American schools because many teachers are not doing a good job. In fact, many parents are not well teaching their kids. i.e. They need to learn how to take care of their own financial, credit cards, retirement, and savings. Our government and banks have too many corruption. i.e. The banks like to hurt their customers by messing up their credit cards or others.

Many big corporations are paying several teachers in colleges to follow what the companies want them to teach the students so that they would get a job at these companies. I don't know about Japan's way.

Agreed. Increasing the school day alone will not resolve the problems in our educational system.

 

[Jiro]

lol yea same. 2 miles walk to school is nothing comparable to what my parents did in their youth.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

One size does not fit all when it comes to schools.


How many hours per day, days per year did Obama attend school?

How many hours per day, days per year did our NASA scientists, computer hardware and software designers, entrepreneurs, inventors, etc., attend school prior to the 70's?

If the quantity of school time increases, is that a guarantee that the quality of schools will improve? Or will it just be more hours of the same-old, same-old? Will the kids be alert late into the afternoon?

Specifically, how would longer hours and more days resolve those problems?

How will longer hours at school develop a love for reading in the Wii generation?


What exactly happened to the curriculum, and what would be done to "rebuild" it?

Are we sure that adding a couple months of school will do all that?

Do we know how much it will cost to pay teachers, administration, and maintenance staff for those extra weeks? How much will it cost to air condition the schools thru the summer? How much will it cost to heat and AC the schools during longer school days? How dark will it be when kids go to school and come home? Will teachers experience burn out? When will teachers have time to get their advanced degrees? If high school students can't get summer jobs to pay for their college, what will they do? Will this plan be mandatory or will each school board decide whether or not to adopt it?

Finally, something I and Reba can agree on...longer school days or longer school terms/year round school isn't a good idea for both the children and the teachers. I don't want my children to be so tired after a long day of school and come home, because then they will be too tired to do their homework. And you have to consider the teachers too. They have lives to live too, and they shouldn't be spending all their time in the classrooms. If the teachers get overworked they will end up cutting corners in education, and it could affect the children badly. There would be a ripple effect. It won't be good. And the pay the teachers already get is not so good already. I have an aunt who is a 3rd grade teacher, and she has 3 (now grown) children of her own. She has struggled so hard to support herself and her 3 children on the crappy pay she gets as a teacher for so many years ever since she and my uncle divorced when I was a small child. And my uncle was of no help as he (although I love him, I hate to admit this - and funny that he was committed to the Army for 25 "glorious" years but not committed to his children at all) is a deadbeat dad, and have not paid one red cent towards those three children (he has at least 4 children that I know of - the 4th is only a preteen). She lives from paycheck to paycheck. I feel truly sorry for my aunt.

All work and no play makes a dull child (and a dull adult too!).

Play is a very good thing for people, both children and adults, psychological wise. Work, work, work, and more work on top of work will only burn people out. I know I would. I have burnt out before at a job where my commute time was 2 1/2 hours PER way by public transit bus, and therefore was not home for about 13 hours out of the 24 hours per day that us human beings are given. I was forced to take this job by this woman who works for an organization affiliated with Goodwill, she finds jobs for the Deaf and other disabled people. I told her specifically what I was looking for in a job (VERY reasonable requests - appropriate commute time (I asked for no more than 1 hour each way on the public transit bus as is per usual for adults who commute), location (I asked for it to be in the CITY LIMITS of Milwaukee as I use public transit, hours (8 hours per day 5 days a week, 2nd shift) and not too physical as I have hip dysplasia and cannot do any running and fast walking - because it hurts a lot - as was required in this job) and no factories due to the physical activity required in factories. She finds me a job that has all the things that I said I cannot do. It was ridiculous. Thank goodness I was eventually fired - I had wanted to quit on my own and find a more appropriate job but she would not permit me to quit at all (back then I had actually thought she had the right to not allow me to quit - I was young and did not know my rights and really thought it was NOT allowed AT ALL) and I had no free time to search for a different job while working. She even had a very snotty attitude when I commented that the commute time to that job was 2 1/2 hour EACH WAY. She goes "oh, all responsible adults leave VERY early for their jobs." Um, yeah, no. 1 hour per way is reasonable. Not 2 1/2 hours. So, yeah, work, work, work, and I got burnt out. I was totally unnecessarily killing myself at that job because I had no idea that I had the right to quit if I had wanted/needed to.

I am glad I do not live in countries where school are 6 or even 7 days a week! It would totally suck not to have even one day off per week. We are human beings and we all need breaks.

 

[Lighthouse77]

not only that, you would not have time to do afterschool activities such as karate (my son take this) , or ballet, whatever out there.

BTW, not all parents leave their kids alone at home, They usually drop them off at the grandmas or afterschool activities etc. It's illegal to leave a young child care for himself at home (you will have your child taken away)

I don't know about you all, but I loved my summer camp! I loved camping and looking under the stars. I loved my lazy days of summer, gives me plenty of time to think.. you be surprised how kids get creative when they get bored and I loved how my parents make me do work when I got too bored. like weeding the garden.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

Lucia,

The newspapers here in the states are written at a seventh grade reading level because our schools are teaching kids (your generation and younger) at that level. The schools are dumbing down the kids and, as I said previously, the A's and B's today are equal to my generations C's and D's.

Now, what's this about the ******* USA you're talking about? You make it sound like our shit don't stink? Maybe that's the problem. Go drive your American car and brag how good they are when in reality they're crap and going bankrupt.

Ha, I don't even have a car. I have never had a car of my own. I don't think the USA doesn't stink. Actually, I am bored with the USA as well as annoyed. I would love to visit another country, maybe Australia or somewhere in Europe. Spain and Portugal are one of the few countries that looks interesting to me. I would like to visit Mexico and South America. I am not one of those annoying people who tell you to buy only American products. More than 3/4 of the things I own are not made in the USA.

I am saying that this person ought to read newspapers of other countries (if that person can get them translated) and find out what really goes on in those countries, or at least talk to people from other countries over the internet, ask then questions about what it is like in schools as well as society in their countries. We can't depend on our USA media because a lot of it can be biased. I am only saying that maybe that person should find out what it is really like in schools and in the general public in other countries, since that person seems to think other countries have it better in school (as in school shootings), and that some things doesn't ever happen in other countries. I have even had people tell me that there is NO gangs in certain countries, and that annoys me, because there are gangs everywhere in the world. No country is immune from such things as this. Maybe there are school shootings in other countries, but we would not know for sure unless we read the newspapers of other countries (if we can get someone to translate them for us) and find out what really goes on in other countries, or maybe even talk to people in other countries. Until then we are not really in a position to say what it really is like in other countries. That's what I meant. I am not an "arrogant American" as you may think I am. You mistook what I said. I am not one of those arrogant Americans who only use and buy products made in the USA only and who think we have it better here - we don't, even though the USA is supposedly "the richest country in the world" - there is the fact that we are in debt. In fact, people who insist on buying things that are made in the USA only are frankly very annoying. I truly do not care what country my product that I buy is from as long as the quality is good and I like the product. Some product from other countries will have lower quality while other products have better quality but not all products from outside the USA are crap despite what some people claim. I pay no attention to the labels that say "made in *country name*". I only do research on the product I want to buy based on its quality and its specs and the feedback of the people that have owned the product I buy, and that goes for ALL products I buy.

Yes, I do agree that the reading levels of our newspapers are at a 7th grade level, but I do not think that it has to do with the amount of time spent in schools. What we need is better standards/better curriculum/more challenging levels of subjects being taught at all schools. Neither ASL nor English is my first language. The only reason I am able to write English this well is because while I was in one foster placement I kept myself busy with books so I could escape from the reality of the conditions of the place I was at. Otherwise I think I would have done much worse. When I left the placement and came back to the state school for the Deaf they put me back one grade and also expected me to do so much worse than that due to the curriculum of the placement I was at, but I surprised everybody and got them to move me back up to the grade that I was supposed to be in had I not been at that foster placement (although I do now wish they had not moved me back up as the students of that higher grade was so much more rude and snobby and wouldn't give me the time of the day so I was lonely while the students of the lower grade was so much nicer and friendlier and I had more friends there). And even with my written English being this good, I still have many gaps, I make many mistakes, and I frequently come across words that I do not know and I have to stop and look it up. Sometimes I will even stop mid-sentence and try to think of the word I was trying to come up with. That happens frequently.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

My mother did when she was a little girl. Two miles one way. All sorts of weather. Your children can handle it. My mother's house was also heated with a wood burning stove and that's how her mother cooked, even when it's hot.

Since you're complaining of the heat in Taxes, why stay there? Especially with the gang trash can kids?

You're making yourself sound much older and you also sound like you lived out in the middle of nowhere. What are you, 80 or 90? :roll:

I would rather live in Texas in this kind of heat even when it reaches the 100s than go back to Wisconsin and freeze to death waiting for a bus. My hands and fingers and feet can go numb very fast in -10 degree weather in Milwaukee. It's easier to stay cool in the hot weather here than it is to stay warm in frigid weather. Ever since I was a little girl I always had a plan of moving to a warmer climate for good, and I finally succeeded in doing so 3 years ago. I have no regrets about it, even if we have gangs here. There are gangs in Milwaukee as well, so it is not going to make a damn difference. There are gangs everywhere. Even many small towns are not immune to gangs - for example, Delavan, Wisconsin. That town is rural, but we do have a gang there.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

not only that, you would not have time to do afterschool activities such as karate (my son take this) , or ballet, whatever out there.

BTW, not all parents leave their kids alone at home, They usually drop them off at the grandmas or afterschool activities etc. It's illegal to leave a young child care for himself at home (you will have your child taken away)

I don't know about you all, but I loved my summer camp! I loved camping and looking under the stars. I loved my lazy days of summer, gives me plenty of time to think.. you be surprised how kids get creative when they get bored and I loved how my parents make me do work when I got too bored. like weeding the garden.

Yeah, I would like to send my children to summer camp such as Lion's Camp (if they are Deaf)or other summer camps. Many children love summer camp, why deny them this?

And many families like to take vacations during the summer, many families find that the summer is the best if you want to visit many states around the USA. It's great if you want to get a RV and hit every state in the lower 48 states, Canada, and maybe even Alaska if they can do that. Having year round school would prevent those families from doing this. I would like to have 3 months devoted to traveling with my family, hitting as many states as I could, or going to multiple countries in Europe or Central or South America. I don't want to sit at home and be bored for two weeks because I don't get 3 months straight of free time to travel if it was changed to year round school. That would totally suck.