President Obama Thinks Longer School Year Makes Smarter Students by Roger Caldwell

With almost every school system in the country laying off teachers and cutting expenses, the President is proposing longer school days and possible additional weeks to the school year. Education is the key to move our country forward and help our children realize their dream with a good paying job. Almost every job is connected to a computer, or some form of advanced technology, and our president received a good education.

At three and four, children learn how to operate a computer and some already have an email. Learning and knowledge will be based on the student's individual commitment to achievement, and twelve year olds will have the ability to operate on an advanced high school level.

Nevertheless, there is a crisis in public education and in certain school districts where forty percent of the children do not graduate. Our schools are failing the American student and on a global scale, our children are behind in every subject. In math, our 15-year old students lag behind 31 countries in a recent international educational study.

The Secretary of Education states, "Our children have stagnated educationally, putting our long term economic security at-risk." The president is correct when he wants our educational system to stay competitive on a global level. But the major issue is "How do you transform a system that is failing our children and is deteriorating every year and not able to pay its bills?"

Children who do not graduate are 8 times more likely to go to jail and earn less. Black 12^th graders read on a white 8^th grade level and this generation will be less literate. In our communities the system is broken, and our children are set up to fail.

There is a fundamental problem with the educational system today and making the school year longer will not correct the problem. Education will have to become a priority in every school system in the country with excellence as the focus. The parents and teachers will have to stop giving lip-service to excellence, and practice it on a daily basis.

Inner-city school districts should receive a larger percentage of financial expenditures and resources, and the administrators improve the educational facilities. If the leaders and administrators do not take pride in world class facilities, how do they expect the children to function on a world class level?

President Obama and his Secretary of Education are big supporters of the charter schools and parents are taking their children out of the public schools because they are failing and broken. There is a crisis in the public school system that can turn into a catastrophe, and it will be impossible to learn in an inner-city school. If the students at charter schools can learn, than the public school system can be fixed.

It is time for a dialogue with school administrators, teachers, parents, and resource employees. The time that we waste using antiquated teaching skill practices can be achieved in least time with individual computer work stations. Instead of making the school day longer, the school day can become shorter.

Learning and education can become a joy and the student is motivated and inspired. It is time for our educators to get outside of the box and make education fun. Once we stop operating our schools like prison, the students will start treating knowledge as a gift.

There is power in partnerships and our schools have the ability to make learning practical and applicable to real life situations. Making the school year longer will only frustrate the teachers, parents, and students. Using technology and individual study will create a better student who has a goal and purpose with his education.

 

Check out other blogs by Roger at http://presidentobamawatch.wordpress.com