According to this Associated Press report, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is calling for a longer school week and year, saying that children need extra time is needed to be competitive with foreign students. Of course, both alonger school week and year would require a substantial increase in education spending at a time when states are cutting their education budgets. There could be two perspectives on the issue of a longer school year and 
week. If you are a parent reading this, how do you feel about your kid being in school longer (and not having as much time off during the summer)? If you are a teacher or school employee, what are your feelings on his idea? An excerpt from the AP story.
week. If you are a parent reading this, how do you feel about your kid being in school longer (and not having as much time off during the summer)? If you are a teacher or school employee, what are your feelings on his idea? An excerpt from the AP story.American schoolchildren need to be in class more -- six days a
week, at least 11 months a year -- if they are to compete with students abroad, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday. "Go ahead and boo me," Duncan told about 400 middle and high school students at a public school in northeast Denver. "I fundamentally think that our school day is too short, our school week is too short and our school year is too short."
"You're competing for jobs with kids from India and China. I think schools should be
open six, seven days a week; eleven, twelve months a year," he said. Instead of boos, Duncan's remark drew an unsurprising response from the teenage assembly: bored stares.
Kelly Puente joined the Press-Telegram in 2006 as an editorial assistant and eventually worked her way up to general assignement reporter. Over the years, she’s covered everything from crime and breaking news to human interest and the cities of Bellflower and Cerritos. Kelly is a Long Beach resident and graduate of Cal State Long Beach. She’s new to the education beat and is looking for great stories.
This guy seriously needs to get a life. He doesn't take into account that the labor costs in India and China are substantially lower than in the United States. Education is valued more in China than it is here in the U.S. It's part of the Confucian ethic that is entrenched in the Chinese culture.