Boo! Hiss!

Girls' Life, August, 2001

Stretchin' the School Schedule

You already have no time for tons of homework, drama club, field hockey practice and your babysitting job--and that's after spending most of the day in school. What if you had to stay at school even longer? More and more states are out to stretch class times, school days and even the fiscal year in an attempt to up academic finesse. Elementary schools in Washington, D.C., have added an extra hour or more to school days, and the governors of California and Georgia are proposing school years be extended up to 30 days. That's a whole month slashed from your summer! Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Pataki thinks students should stay in school past dark, and Mayor Giuliani wants Saturday classes! But don't think everybody has it in for you--some experts totally disagree. The Dallas School District recently eliminated its year-round education program, and John E. Stone, E.d.D, of the Education Consumers Clearinghouse believes, "The greatest reason for poor schooling outcomes is the inefficient use of available time an d, looked at from the student standpoint, this would be wasting their time." Some Minneapolis schools actually let students start school an hour and a half later than most schools. School administrators believe the extra sleep-in time keeps teens well-rested so they can better function during the day. Now, that makes sense!