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WASHINGTON –President Barack Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.
Libby Quaid, Associated Press education writer ~ Sept. 27, 2009
The president is the latest to enter the national conversation about how long a school day, a school week, a school year should be to provide optimal learning for the nation’s students.
Charter schools, government-sanctioned and frequently partly or fully funded with public monies, commonly schedule longer school days – 10 or 11 hours a day vs. 6 ½ -- and/or have Saturday sessions and/or insert student vacations at regular intervals throughout the calendar year.
There are studies that support longer instructional time daily, especially in math, science and language courses. Many public schools are adjusting their daily instructional times to allow classes of differing lengths – easier to do in elementary schools, where scheduling can be handled classroom by classroom, unlike middle and high schools, where schedules are individual or teamed.
Some teachers argue that too much learning is “lost” between June and September without scheduled cams, classes or workshop to help students retain the material.
Some parents are strongly protective of the current system, which allows blocks of vacation and a long summer break for family time. They argue that more time in school doesn’t substitute for higher quality instruction in the classroom.
So what do you think? Should school children spend more time in the classroom?
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Virginia PTA
