More school: Obama would curtail summer vacation

[Sefket]

September 27, 2009 By The Associated Press  LIBBY QUAID (AP Education Writer)

Photo credit: AP | Edwards Middle School students perform on stage in this photo taken Thursday, June 18, 2009, in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Students beware: The summer vacation you just enjoyed could be sharply curtailed if President Barack Obama gets his way.

Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.

"Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," the president said earlier this year. "Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."

The president, who has a sixth-grader and a third-grader, wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go.

"Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Fifth-grader Nakany Camara is of two minds. She likes the four-week summer program at her school, Brookhaven Elementary School in Rockville, Md. Nakany enjoys seeing her friends there and thinks summer school helped boost her grades from two Cs to the honor roll.

But she doesn't want a longer school day. "I would walk straight out the door," she said.

Domonique Toombs felt the same way when she learned she would stay for an extra three hours each day in sixth grade at Boston's Clarence R. Edwards Middle School.

"I was like, 'Wow, are you serious?'" she said. "That's three more hours I won't be able to chill with my friends after school."

Her school is part of a 3-year-old state initiative to add 300 hours of school time in nearly two dozen schools. Early results are positive. Even reluctant Domonique, who just started ninth grade, feels differently now. "I've learned a lot," she said.

Does Obama want every kid to do these things? School until dinnertime? Summer school? And what about the idea that kids today are overscheduled and need more time to play?

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Obama and Duncan say kids in the United States need more school because kids in other nations have more school.

"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).

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Regardless, there is a strong case for adding time to the school day.

Researcher Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institution looked at math scores in countries that added math instruction time. Scores rose significantly, especially in countries that added minutes to the day, rather than days to the year.

"Ten minutes sounds trivial to a school day, but don't forget, these math periods in the U.S. average 45 minutes," Loveless said. "Percentage-wise, that's a pretty healthy increase."

In the U.S., there are many examples of gains when time is added to the school day.

Charter schools are known for having longer school days or weeks or years. For example, kids in the KIPP network of 82 charter schools across the country go to school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., more than three hours longer than the typical day. They go to school every other Saturday and for three weeks in the summer. KIPP eighth-grade classes exceed their school district averages on state tests.

In Massachusetts' expanded learning time initiative, early results indicate that kids in some schools do better on state tests than do kids at regular public schools. The extra time, which schools can add as hours or days, is for three things: core academics — kids struggling in English, for example, get an extra English class; more time for teachers; and enrichment time for kids.

Regular public schools are adding time, too, though it is optional and not usually part of the regular school day. Their calendar is pretty much set in stone. Most states set the minimum number of school days at 180 days, though a few require 175 to 179 days.

Several schools are going year-round by shortening summer vacation and lengthening other breaks.

Many schools are going beyond the traditional summer school model, in which schools give remedial help to kids who flunked or fell behind.

Summer is a crucial time for kids, especially poorer kids, because poverty is linked to problems that interfere with learning, such as hunger and less involvement by their parents.

That makes poor children almost totally dependent on their learning experience at school, said Karl Alexander, a sociology professor at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University, home of the National Center for Summer Learning.

Disadvantaged kids, on the whole, make no progress in the summer, Alexander said. Some studies suggest they actually fall back. Wealthier kids have parents who read to them, have strong language skills and go to great lengths to give them learning opportunities such as computers, summer camp, vacations, music lessons, or playing on sports teams.

"If your parents are high school dropouts with low literacy levels and reading for pleasure is not hard-wired, it's hard to be a good role model for your children, even if you really want to be," Alexander said.

Extra time is not cheap. The Massachusetts program costs an extra $1,300 per student, or 12 percent to 15 percent more than regular per-student spending, said Jennifer Davis, a founder of the program. It received more than $17.5 million from the state Legislature last year.

The Montgomery County, Md., summer program, which includes Brookhaven, received $1.6 million in federal stimulus dollars to operate this year and next, but it runs for only 20 days.

Aside from improving academic performance, Education Secretary Duncan has a vision of schools as the heart of the community. Duncan, who was Chicago's schools chief, grew up studying alongside poor kids on the city's South Side as part of the tutoring program his mother still runs.

"Those hours from 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock are times of high anxiety for parents," Duncan said. "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."

http://www.newsday.com/business/more-school-obama-would-curtail-summer-vacation-1.1480110

Wow.. Obama is messing everything up.

[Mike (0BR)]

Just wondering, how many holidays including christmas, easter, spring break and civic do you get off a year? It seems every month you have a new holiday and shit. <- Americans answer.

Edit: I just looked up what it is here in Canada, the minimum # of days per school year is 194, i read in the article its 180 days for the U.S. Is it really all your holidays that gives you less time in school? I was

- I was just looking at my brothers school calendar, I counted 23 days off including easter, christmas, marchbreak and other civic holidays. What are your school days like over there anyhow? I hear you guys get half days and whatnot sometimes.

[Going Pking3]

Just wondering, how many holidays including christmas, easter, spring breakand civic do you get off a year? It seems every month you have a new holiday and shit. <- Americans answer.

Edit: I just looked up what it is here in Canada, the minimum # of days per school year is 194, i read in the article its 180 days for the U.S. Is it really all your holidays that gives you less time in school?

It's because in America, unlike any country in the world, there's a variety of people, from everywhere. Why just celebrate ones holiday, and not another?

Plus they haven't added any holidays, so idk where you getting that from-.-

And I think there's 4 1 week breaks, or 3. I know there's Christmas/Hon-aka(Holiday Break in December), there's a winter break in Feb, and idk if Spring break is Easter, if not, then Easter is another whole week. Also there's thanksgiving, which is like 2 days.. Other then that, maybe once a month there's no school, except for May I think.

But gay, they better not add more school.  

[Mike (0BR)]

Just wondering, how many holidays including christmas, easter, spring breakand civic do you get off a year? It seems every month you have a new holiday and shit. <- Americans answer.

Edit: I just looked up what it is here in Canada, the minimum # of days per school year is 194, i read in the article its 180 days for the U.S. Is it really all your holidays that gives you less time in school?

It's because in America, unlike any country in the world, there's a variety of people, from everywhere. Why just celebrate ones holiday, and not another?

Plus they haven't added any holidays, so idk where you getting that from-.-

And I think there's 4 1 week breaks, or 3. I know there's Christmas/Hon-aka(Holiday Break in December), there's a winter break in Feb, and idk if Spring break is Easter, if not, then Easter is another whole week. Also there's thanksgiving, which is like 2 days.. Other then that, maybe once a month there's no school, except for May I think.

But gay, they better not add more school.  

Over here you can celebrate whatever holiday you want, Jewish people in public schools take the week off or whatever, doesn't stop school from going on for the others. I'm thinking its the excessive amount of holidays that you get that is keeping you out of school. It would be nice to have 4 one week breaks.

Edit:

It's because in America, unlike any country in the world, there's a variety of people, from everywhere. Why just celebrate ones holiday, and not another?

Also found this quite funny, I'm sure every country has a variety of people whether it be cultural or spiritual (religious). America isn't the only country to have immigrants you know.

[d72]

I can agree and disagree with what Obama's said so far. For one, I would agree with what he wants to do with the whole super long vacation in the summer, and have it like Australia where they get specific weeks off and multiple more days off of school. That being said, I would definitely not like to stay in the building for longer after the day's ended, because I find that where I come from, 80 minutes per class every week is the perfect amount of education that we could get in a day. Also, I like how my school ends at 2:00, making it a lot easier for me to go home and use the given time to do my work before entertaining myself.

I also disagree with the schools opening late to allow students to go in. As said in the passage, students would rather get the hell out of the school as fast as possible rather than wanting to go and check up on their teachers on the weekend. Also, I wouldn't want my kid walking home from school at like 6 during the winter when it's not only cold but it's fucking dark outside.

And Going Pking3, I don't know what you're saying, but Canada has one of the highest, if not the biggest rate of immigration statistics when comparing to other countries. In fact, I think what you just said is completely selfish, really magnifying the amplitude to the arrogance of the common pro-America meathead.

[Mike (0BR)]

And Going Pking3, I don't know what you're saying, but Canada has one of the highest, if not the biggest rate of immigration statistics when comparing to other countries. In fact, I think what you just said is completely selfish, really magnifying the amplitude to the arrogance of the common pro-America meathead.

You tell him brother. Canada ftw

[6 9i]

Obama 2012 all i have to say.

[d72]

And Going Pking3, I don't know what you're saying, but Canada has one of the highest, if not the biggest rate of immigration statistics when comparing to other countries. In fact, I think what you just said is completely selfish, really magnifying the amplitude to the arrogance of the common pro-America meathead.

You tell him brother. Canada ftw

Yessir, where you from?

[Mike (0BR)]

Ontario

[d72]

Where in On? I'm from Toronto :D

[Jesus]

There he goes again messing things up. Life (Even as a kid) needs to have work time, and "play" time. It needs to be balanced.

[o0 Thug o0]

enough about edu obama, when is weed gonna be legal... now that's the question.

[Richard (Jub)]

Im in college, GG.

[Mike (0BR)]

Where in On? I'm from Toronto :D

Maple. Right beside wonderland.

[d72]

That's fucking sick man, small world :o

[Jim]

lol america

[HADUKEN]

Just wondering, how many holidays including christmas, easter, spring break and civic do you get off a year? It seems every month you have a new holiday and shit. <- Americans answer.

Edit: I just looked up what it is here in Canada, the minimum # of days per school year is 194, i read in the article its 180 days for the U.S. Is it really all your holidays that gives you less time in school? I was

- I was just looking at my brothers school calendar, I counted 23 days off including easter, christmas, marchbreak and other civic holidays. What are your school days like over there anyhow? I hear you guys get half days and whatnot sometimes.

wow.. :S

over here in england,when i went school i got like a total of.. about 40-50 days off a year. 51-53 including teacher training days, and shit that goes wrong boiler blowing up etc etc.

[Zero]

Obama would. :l

[Mew|Matt]

Gmt Ftw :)

[HADUKEN]

Gmt Ftw :)

you wait, when gordon brown fucks up he'll follow the same steps and everyone in school will hate him.

[watch me tb]

the us should just copy what european countrys do... i never liked the 3 month break.. sometimes got boring. the way they do it in netherlands would be good. idk really what other countrys do.

[Ikz]

While he's at it he should make gym mandatory. Get the obesity rate down.

[Steal]

It is at my school Ikz. I'm a senior so fuck you all, have fun in school during summer..They can't do this shit to colleges.

[Elit3 Bs3r]

Damn, Obama is ruin our runescape :(

[y0urw3ak]

Done and done with school already, college is SOOO much flexible :D