Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well Greatday, if you have kids in school then you realize that staying open later with longer classes will not make them any smarter. Saying more school will make them smarter is the easy way out.
I would first get rid of NCLB. Get the Fed out of the school system.
Rework the curriculum so it's not based on standardized tests and it's not an easy revolving door to the next grade to get floated through the system.
As a student I agree, this plan is better in my opinion.
NCLB doesn't really help a lot of students, more individual attention in smaller class sizes would be more beneficial in my opinion.
And I'll be damned if I give up my Summer vacation because some students aren't up to par, especially when there's better alternatives.
And I'll be damned if I give up my Summer vacation because some students aren't up to par, especially when there's better alternatives.
There are schools in my area of the country that are "year round" schools. Essentially that means after every 4 weeks, you have a week off. The students DO NOT get a 3 month summer vacation. I believe it is 3 weeks.
And, each school day is longer - and this happens by each class being longer. Instead of 50 minute instructional hour - the class is 70 minutes.
So a 5 class day is basically an hour and half longer than traditional class days.
Yes, it is true that our kids already spend more time in the classroom.
Quote:
"Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here," Duncan told the AP. "I want to just level the playing field."
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).
More hours of the same things we are doing now won't help.
And what the heck....we now have to have schools open all hours? Where are the PARENTS!!! The problems with many schools now involve inadequate parental involvement so hey, let's make it easier for them to be uninvolved. The kids can stay at school till bedtime, come back on weekends.....
There are schools in my area of the country that are "year round" schools. Essentially that means after every 4 weeks, you have a week off. The students DO NOT get a 3 month summer vacation. I believe it is 3 weeks.
And, each school day is longer - and this happens by each class being longer. Instead of 50 minute instructional hour - the class is 70 minutes.
So a 5 class day is basically an hour and half longer than traditional class days.
That's an interesting school schedule, I wonder if it produces better grades than in a "regular" school.
That's an interesting school schedule, I wonder if it produces better grades than in a "regular" school.
Many teachers say it does. The retention rate is much better from what I understand. AND, the students don't have to waste time being re-taught / refreshed on what they learned over 3 months ago - because it is an on-going process
Sadly..we don't need longer days. We need to get rid of the "reforms" that dumbed down the curriculum to equalize all students.
No kidding! My children had/have to do that in elementary school and I am here to tell you it is so damn confusing. It reminds me a lot of beurocracy as it makes a straightforward thing completely conveluted. I hate it.
There are schools in my area of the country that are "year round" schools. Essentially that means after every 4 weeks, you have a week off. The students DO NOT get a 3 month summer vacation. I believe it is 3 weeks.
And, each school day is longer - and this happens by each class being longer. Instead of 50 minute instructional hour - the class is 70 minutes.
So a 5 class day is basically an hour and half longer than traditional class days.
In our district the YR schools don't have any more days or any longer days than the traditional schools, just a different schedule. They have 4 classes and lunch instead of 7 classes so yes, each class is longer but the day isn't.
I don't think we need longer days, the days are long enough already. Good students already work 40-60 hour weeks if you count homework, studying and projects (I'm talking middle and high school, elementary students don't need anymore either). It's 9pm and I still haven't seen my DS except for an hour at dinner time. He's studying and doing homework as he should be. How would it help for him to get home even later? If the mediocre kids want more school let them stay late. My kids want to come home at a decent hour.
Yes, it is true that our kids already spend more time in the classroom.
More hours of the same things we are doing now won't help.
And what the heck....we now have to have schools open all hours? Where are the PARENTS!!! The problems with many schools now involve inadequate parental involvement so hey, let's make it easier for them to be uninvolved. The kids can stay at school till bedtime, come back on weekends.....
No, you don't understand -- the may (or may not, the quote didn't address Korean, Japanese or Chinese students) spend the same physical hours in their school but they do spend hours at various forms of hagwons. Imagine Sylvan Learning Centers or community colleges for the elementary set. They attend these before school and after school not getting home till 9-10pm They are studying in the learning centers not playing games. They learn English, mathematics and perhaps take extra music courses if they are trying to get into a prestigous music school.
There is no hours in front of the TV.
But there is one even bigger difference which will make it all but impossible for US kids to ever 'catch up'. These cultures are heavily influenced by confucious and as a result family duty and study is held dear. They study to please their parents and their parents make damn sure that they do.
Contrast that with a lot of US students, specifically in low income public schools. We just don't have that type of parental involvement by and large.
I have a Korean friend who is a university professor -- she says that in S Korea there is before school school, then school, then after school school that lasts till 9-10 pm. Monday thru Friday.
I was going to point out that error as well. Korean children have, in addition to their regular school time, tutors and extra classes that keep them in lessons till 10pm. And not just the rich or privileged kids - it's the norm, not the exception, that parents do whatever it takes to pay for extra lessons for their kids. And then there are the music lessons...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
