President Obama believes American students need an extended school year to compete with other countries. The responsibility of setting school schedules, according to law, falls on the shoulders of local governments.
“I can’t imagine going to school longer,” AP Christine Englert said. “When we are here, in the eight hours that most of us work, we work very hard. If we were to extend that day—and when we do extend those days, in tutoring—it’s just exhausting.”
According to Mrs. Englert, more hours in school would put additional strain on already busy students and teachers, who participate in anything other than school.
“We’d be able to compete better worldwide with students who do stay in school all day,” she said. “It’s their whole lives, they don’t do anything else. That’s kind of scary, and I think a lot of our students are stressed out anyway.”
Obama and his cabinet want to “just level the playing field,” but countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, scoring higher than the US on math and science assessments, attend school around 100 hours less per year than Americans.
“I don’t think having more time means more learning necessarily. If you could force the students to actually do their work during school time, instead of at home, then it might be helpful to them,” math teacher Sara Kamphaus said. “It forces people to do something they should do on their own. It’s very regimented. It’s like, ‘you’re not going to do your homework, so we’re going to add this extra hour to force you.’”
Sophomore Morgan Straley believes adding to the schedule, and taking away from breaks, would cause problems with students who find the current hours already overwhelming.
“We would have less breaks, and more homework. We’d get sick of our peers; there would be chaos,” Straley said.
Students not looking toward a higher education or providing for themselves would have less time outside of school to work.
“I think that not every student is cut out to be a student. Of course, we all have to have our high school educations, but where do we go after high school. I think that the kids that are headed for college, that they will flourish,” Mrs. Englert said. “But the other kids that aren’t, and already have a hard time in a traditional high school, they would flounder even more. They can’t focus; it’s just too long of a day.”
Schools would have to increase teachers’ salaries to cover the added hours and/or days.
“We already have trouble finding teachers in certain subjects. So I think we’d have more trouble finding math and science teachers. I think that could scare some people off from teaching,” Englert said.
Jonathan Hutchins • Oct 10, 2009 at 8:43 am
This isn’t right, most kids in high school do have jobs. If you provide for yourself than that just makes it harder on you, more school equals less work which equals less income. I can’t pay my bills as it is, I don’t know what I would do if this happens.
Looks like President Obama didn’t really look at all the side’s of this, I just hope to god that the local governments don’t go thorough with this.
Allex Ohler • Oct 9, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I’m fine with it, but we will need a nap time and possible recess.
Drew Gassiot • Oct 9, 2009 at 11:40 am
Students from other countries do tend to own at math and then come over here and work for less pay than americans would, but many of them don’t have the creative thinking that is developed through required arts classes. They also have a bit more motivation to study. Homeless people here are better off than some of the average population in some other countries.
Rita • Oct 8, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Adding very many extra school hours (days) would be hard to implement, thus I don’t think anyone has to worry about Obama killing summer break!
Many students would benefit from enrichment activities extended into the summer (or after school) – activities to expand upon what was taught in class. Kids who don’t have a lot of parental involvement in their education may manage to catch up with their peers during the school year, only to lose ground over the summer without reading & enrichment activities that many other students do get. It has been noted that often it is students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who struggle to keep up and could benefit from extra enrichment.
If extending school hours could mean visiting more museums, travel to other countries, studying more hands-on science or green technology, etc. I’d be listening! Maybe less emphasis on standardized testing during the school year would free up some needed time.
Although I can appreciate the President’s desire to strengthen our school system, our family would prefer keeping summer for family vacations, travel, and enrichments of our own choosing, so we would prefer any changes to be optional.
RED • Oct 7, 2009 at 11:03 pm
i do not support Obama, the reason he wants to go to school more is not because we need it but according to Obama “all the other country’s are longer” it almost sounds like a 5 year wanting a new game because everyone in his class has one. it saddens me
Russell Kirby • Oct 3, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Alright, Mr. Cockrell!
Coach Cockrell • Oct 2, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I believe that people who repeatedly say that American students are not academically competitive on the international level, are basing that belief on incorrect, or incomplete information. If you look closely at the countries (China, Japan, etc.) whose scholars post impressive performance numbers, you will find that their scores are based only on the performance of their college-bound students, which are the top echelon of their brain-trust. The students in those countries who do not qualify for the college-bound track, are identified early in their academic career, and are re-directed to a less rigorous vocational track. The net effect is that the high scores of their academic super stars are not diminished by being averaged in with the lower scores that would presumably be mixed into the equation if their vocationally-identified students were allowed to test. Contrast that with the American system of education, where we do our very best to equip EVERY child, so that CHILD, rather than the GOVERNMENT, can decide what he wants to do with his life. Look, for example, at how Texas administers TAKS. Virtually all students are tested… very few exemptions. If schools were allowed to exempt their lower-performing students from taking TAKS, then only the scores of the brighter students would count, and every school would have an “Exemplary” rating. We don’t need extended hours, or more days in the school year in order for America’s top scholars to be competitive with the top scholars of any other country on the planet. Our country will always be very competitive if the politicians will quit trying to be BFF with Europe & Asia by adopting their methods and their cultures, and start being proud of our country and our institutions.