A Matter of Time - politicians discuss lengthening the school year - Statistical Data Included

0 Comments | Current Events, March 16, 2001

WHEN MOST KIDS THINK of summer they think of baseball, hot dogs, and family vacations. But if some politicians have their way, more and more kids will spend their summer months in school.

In New York City, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani recently proposed a program that would require middle- and high-school students who need extra help in science and English to attend classes on Saturdays. In Chicago, several schools are adopting year-round schedules and longer hours. In California, Gov. Gray Davis wants to extend the school year in middle schools by 30 days.

Politicians in favor of such school reform view the extra time as a remedy for lagging standardized test scores. Educators opposed to the additional time claim that extra class time doesn't guarantee improved test scores.

Head of the Class?

Advocates of longer school days or school years say that the current school calendar is outdated. During the 19th century, the U.S. economy was largely dependent on farming. School officials planned schedules so kids could help out on the family farm in the afternoons and during the summer months. Because times have changed, some politicians say, the school calendar should change too. Ruy Teixeira, whose organization, the Century Foundation, recently published a paper on extending the school year, said, "Our traditional school calendar has outlived its usefulness."

Politicians often note that American students have tested below students in other countries, where students attend more days of school. Chester E. Finn Jr., an education policy analyst, said, "If we want American kids to catch up with kids ... in other countries, American kids ... need to spend more time learning."

Not a Solution?

Not everyone agrees that extending classroom time would help U.S. student performance. Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, said, "The time now spent in school is poorly spent, and it's wasted. So making [the school year] longer is not going to solve the problem educationally."

Others argue that the money spent on additional school days could be put to better use. Adele Heuer, principal of Pioneer Middle School in Tustin, Calif., said, "I agree that we need to do something with the middle schools ... but my preference would be to see smaller classes. I think it would be far more effective than the 30-day extension."

Michael Wolde-Yohannes, age 12, said that lengthening the school year is unfair because it would require all students to attend extra classes--whether they need the extra time or not. "It's not fair for kids with high grades to have to suffer when we could be relaxing in the summer," he said.

Would student performance improve if kids spent more time in school?

Background

The cost of extending school days and years isn't cheap. California Governor Gray Davis's proposal for 30 additional days to middle-grade schools is estimated at a cost of $1.45 billion (the governor has said the money will come from a tax surplus in the state). In New York City, Mayor Giuliani promised $25 million a year for his plan to give some middle- and high-school students extra help in English and science. Increased spending on education is a national trend: according to the New York Times, federal funding for after-school programs has grown from about $1 million four years ago to $846 million today.

To justify spending that much money, politicians point to a 1990-1991 study that found U.S. students falling behind students in other countries on assessment tests. The study also noted that the average U.S. student spends an about 178 days per year in class, while students in Italy, Germany, and Japan spend more than 200 days in class, and students in China spend 250 days in school.

Year-Round School?

In addition to lengthening school days and years, a movement to change the school calendar from the traditional one to a year-round model is enjoying popularity. According to Newsweek, since 1990, the number of schools on year-round schedules has increased 350 percent.

In year-round schools, students typically attend classes for nine weeks, and then have three weeks of vacation. Year-round schools may help students retain more of the information they learn, and help educators by reducing the amount of time spent on review each fall. Some parents, however, are skeptical of changing the traditional schedule. Marilyn Stenvall, director of the National Association for Year-Round Education, said, "Parents will say.... I had a good education, so why change the system?"

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