An Idea Whose Time Has Come.

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=09&year=2010&base_name=an_idea_whose_time_has_come

An Idea Whose Time Has Come.


President Obama alienated yet another key constituency this morning when he appeared on NBC and said that students should go to school longer. Yet even as children rued the day this Kenyan Socialist appointed himself president -- right? -- the rest of us should applaud. Basing education policy on outdated agriculture calendars is not the best idea, especially when kids the rest of the world over are doing better by going to school longer. Even simply shifting the schedule on school vacations could be useful; if students took more, shorter breaks you could avoid the knowledge atrophy that comes from the long eight-week break over the summer. While teachers might not like to give up their summer breaks, the idea could be adopted through plans to up teacher pay and further reinforce teaching as a serious profession. Here is a CAP report on the costs and benefits of increasing learning time, and a report {PDF}-both at link} from the National Center on Time and Learning (good name!) that is very bullish on the benefits of extended learning time.

-- Tim Fernholz

[Mass]

1. I have to say I dont like the idea of a longer year. Kids need to rest and be kids.

A shorter summer break with longer winter and spring break would have my preference, as well as getting rid of the agrarian calendar and go to a calendar that would be better adapted to a teenager.

[phantom power]

2. I would favor 4 two-week breaks per year.

A standard of 8 weeks vacation a year for working adults would be nice too. Not that I'm holding my breath.

[Mass]

3. May be a little longer during summer time, because our schools are not air-conditioned, but you got

the idea.

And I am not holding my breath for adults as well.