In Different Perspectives: The Daily Illini Opinion Blogs, homeschooler turned college student, Colleen Lindsay addresses longer school hours, improved test scores and the lives of our children.
Lagging far behind the rest of the world academically, American schools have been struggling to catch up. Now, we take action!
The proposed solution is longer hours of schooling per day and shorter summers.
From middle-school to senior year of high-school, the test scores in core subject areas dramatically decrease. In science, for example, the US drops from being ranked 3 to being 16 from 4th to 12th grade. The number of hours spent in the classroom is also lower than those in other classrooms globally. US students spend 180 hours in the classroom versus the 243 that Japanese students spend. Charter schools in the US have longer hours as well, with better test scores to show for it. Somewhere about this point in the national discussion on improving US test scores, the connection between longer hours in the classroom and better test scores was made. Obviously, this is the answer! No need to investigate any further! Problem solved, smiles all around, and we can now improve our national image.
We have already sacrificed our small children. And what has this gotten us? Well, the scores have not improved, but our children’s lifestyles have been compromised. Now, we want to take the happiness and fun away from school-age children and teens.
It is nice to see the next generation speaking up. Who was it that said it is hard to argue with experience?
Read the entire posthere.