This is ridiculous!! I just posted a page long rant about the article and lost it. AURGH!! Oh well!! Just read it yourself and notice the huge discrepancies between actual data and what the feds want to do.
Which brings up another point...since when do the feds have so much control over education???!! Education is a state right, as per our US constitution!!! (Btw, here is an interesting convo on that)
This is the exact pattern set in EVERY socialist state that has existed.
A quote:
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).
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.
This is just an example of poor science, in my opinion. As usual, data and statistics being easily manipulated to say what you want. For example, the idea that more time spent on math increased math scores. MORE TIME SPENT ON MATH is what increased the math scores...not more time spent at school.
I loved the statement, "Regardless, there is a strong case for adding time to the school day." The article then goes on to explain why those funded by the feds education board think we should spend more time in school in the U.S.A. Ummmm...ok. We didn't all drink the KoolAid. We are not falling for this. I hope.....
