Time For Longer School Days? - Arne Duncan

[MisterHeizenberg]

So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause.

[MisterHeizenberg]

In Finland the school year is on the order of hundreds of hours less then in the US yet their education system is recognized internationally as one of the most successful in the world. In comparison, the US ranks poorly among other developed countries in almost every subject. The problem is not the lack of time spent in school, the system itself is just fundamentally flawed.

[itsjustme2919]

KEY WORDS: PARENTS! DISENGAGED PARENTS BREED DISENGAGED STUDENTS! FORCE PARENTS TO TEACHER CONFERENCES! FORCE ATTENDANCE BY PUNISHMENT FOR PARENTS THAT WILLINGLY ALLOW THEIR STUDENTS TO SKIP SCHOOL! FINE THEM MONEY! HIT THEM IN THE POCKETBOOT! THEY WILL THEN PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR KIDS AND MAKE SURE THEY DO THEIR HOMEWORK!

[lavedon]

Yes the answer is to throw my massive beuracy more money to keep my crappy schools opened longer so I can force workaholic bs on innocent kids.

[sweetsweatyfeet]

His assertions on length of school day are purely arbitrary.--isn't the several hours a day kids now attend, plus additional hours of homework enough? These are kids for Christ sake--they have limited attention spans and face enough enough stress as it is. Who the hell is this guy to dictate how long everyones kids should be in school?

I don't know about you but as a kid---after six and a half hours I wanted to get the fuck outta there.

[mlzachary33]

@sweetsweatyfeet. I agree with your comment, but you almost discredited the entire statement with the profanity you used at the end. Word of advice, don't use profanity to speak formally, it makes you sound ignorant.

[sweetsweatyfeet]

@mlzachary33 This is a youtube comments section, not a formal venue for speaking. Profanity (whatever that means) doesn't negate the point and it can (when used in moderation) add emphasis and passion to an idea. You are socially conditioned to find certain words profane--they are not intrinsically so.

I agree with George Carlin; there are no bad words, just bad thoughts and bad intentions.

[DaftPunkIsCool1]

What are those fucking idiots thinking?! I can barley hand the shit they dish out as homework let alone a fucking longer school day! -from a 5th grader using her sister's acount

[mlb55715]

im not coming home at 8 at night from school. sorry i got sports

[mlb55715]

i love the goverment. its not going to make a difference!!!

[bmx209]

if we get longer school days and shorter summers i will go fucking crazy!! this guy is a shit!!

[mrmayoful]

why are people claping if i was there i would shoot the guy

[69rockyforreal]

Arne Duncan is a douchebag. Just throw out the countless studies that have shown that children and teens only have a short attention span and that lengthening classes would only result in more waste than anything else. How come I'm not surprised Obama picked this asshat for his Secretary of Education?

[medicineman4ever]

What kind of stupid fucking bullshit is this? Longer schooldays doesn't increase the quality of education, only the amount of money greedy teachers unions get for doing fucking nothing.

[Makiba08]

It is not the quantity of time spent in school it is the quality of education. Many Americans plan family vacations in summer...everyone deserves a vacation even kids...this will make more and more kids quit school....this will not work.

[therealgirljpunk]

shit if this happenes i would drop out!!!!!!!!!!!!! i promise ya that i will drop out if is more longer days!!!

[pureskill150]

that's a pathetic idea

[therealgirljpunk]

is stupid! longer hours=sleepy days=to more drop outs=to fail classes by sleeping in all of them!

[Rica1luv4u]

he is drinking dat hard shit cause dats freaking stupid

[StarGazerCafe]

HOMESCHOOL!!! We, as parents, can learn to downsize and live without "stuff", in order to teach our children ourselves, to insure they get the education we want them to get. Think about it :)

[777skn]

mostly i think the problem with education in the usa is that the lack of the same curriculum for all schools and the lack of compulsory standardized test allow school to give good grades for mediocre work

other countries like to WORK students

while here its more about just makin school fun...

even kindergarden is about work

and they start kindergarden earlier...

students need to be made to work from EARLY..they need to develop good work ethic

[MisterHeizenberg]

@777skn

Srry but I don't think institutionalization everything will solve the problem. I recommend that you look up the Finnish education system.

[777skn]

STANDARDIZED TESTS!

if a student does not pass the previous grade

then they should not be allowed to move on to a higher level in that subject

so students can move faster in subjects they are good at and slower in ones that they are not

plus brighter students can finish school faster

while slower ones can take more time

and repeat material until they get it

not continue to fail and become a drop out

[777skn]

this predicts if they need to repeat. but frankly american primary middle and high school are too easy and students still fail... i dont understand it... to get a passing grade is much easier than in other grades for students and instead of droppin out of high school in other countries if the students dont perform well enough by 17 the governments throw them out they do not drop out I think that the education system needs to toughen up a bit.. no throw out people but have compulsory standard

[thepolice911copeland]

High school is fucking hard your an idiot. All you people say longer hours cause you don't have to deal with them but when you have children you'll realize that its hard enough.

[777skn]

plus other countries have

COMPULSORY nationalized standards required to graduate high school.

i.e. every student has to pass a nation wide exam in a certain subject to see if the qualify to pass that high school subject.

also. other countries test students from grade 3 to the last year of high school in english math science and social studies mostly to generate statistics to see how many students pass the standardized tests to see if they are up to scale with the material

[wildpeachatl737]

We used to do that and we used to be at the top...

[777skn]

I want it to improve so badly

the colleges here are wonderul though but college students aren't the ones that we need to target..

[wildpeachatl737]

I was educated during the late 60's thru the 70's and we managed to get educated in the basics, have electives, learn how to write in cursive, have recess and we had after-school programs to keep us out of the streets.

When did education get so complicated in that we need more time to do less? Early education should be repetitive in a sense to instill the basic education. Learning to read and write, spelling and vocabulary tests - repetitive, but you LEARN!

[777skn]

american students barely spend enough time in school compared to students around the world

and the usa has the highest high school drop out rate in the industrialized world

plus, the highest teenage pregnancy in the industrialized world

moreover

It has been reported that they usa is the only country in the world where children are less likely to graduate from high school than there parents

the american high school syllabus is also 2 years behind most of the world that graduate at 16 years old

[wildpeachatl737]

Although I basically agree with your assertions, it's not the amount of time that needs to be changed but the quality and relevancy of the instruction.

Education has fallen sharply from my era and if it's because of 'new' methods, perhaps revisiting the older methods might be in order. It simply isn't working and the fail is due to a myraid of problems - social and economic. It's more than the system itself that's broken, it's us. The parents, teachers, administrators, school boards, etc.

[cherrymiss72]

It is not the *teachers* choosing the curriculum (to the folks who suggested better teachers.) Kids desperately want to learn, but are not taught according to their interests, and that is the problem. School doesn't need to be longer, it needs to be INTERESTING. Make history relate to NOW. Make science relate to your body, your car, your tv. Ask the kids what they want to learn. Help want to learn, and that's what sets up a lifetime of learning for learning's sake.

[artformeandyou]

Quite often the public schools in America dumb down the material so much that the children are expected to think very little. We need to make the school material more complex so that children can learn more naturally, rather than having these over simplified abstract examples that are difficult to build upon.

[artformeandyou]

I teach in a South Korean public school, and agree that we need longer hours and more after school programs.I grew up in an affluent metro area in the US, and after comparing the countries education system I feel like I had a retarded education compared to this average South Korean school. America needs to stop it's obsession with looks and other frivolities, and refocus it on education. If America want's to continue to be a competitor on the global market, we need to invest our time and money.

[TPhreak]

I think we need better teachers not longer school hours.

[drchaffee]

I think there is too much repitition as well. This leads to boredom, sagging grades, and disinterest in further education.

[fatmanprime]

How long are school days in the US?

Because this sounds like bullshit...

[n8iveidiot13]

whoa i was just thinking that... because people always go out drinking and go do there drugs this will be replaced with school work

but i think this means less homework and this should only be done to older kids but in a gradual way that they will get used to it...

but theyre will most defiently be some bad side effects but i g2g to school now

[LeGioNoFZioN]

that is the stupidest shit I have ever heard, fucking fantasy ... idiots like this are why I will never live in America. I thought shit was bad enough here in Canada

[thunderpants10]

So if McDonalds food is lacking in nutrients then we should make kids eat larger amounts of it to compensate?

Maybe try making classtime more meaningful instead of longer.

There are good schools out there. Find them and copy them.

[MRCHOPPS]

AMEN TO THAT!!!

[Szkeptik]

When I was in high school I had 7-8 classes a day and I was there from 8 AM to 3 PM on most days. I can tell you it's impossible to keep paying attention the whole time. Making school days even longer would only make kids life more miserable and the extra classes wouldn't count much as they couldn't pay attention.

[AlaskaKisses]

@Szkeptik Imagine if you didn't have to rush from class to class, but the teacher was able to teach you then help you with your homework all in the same period and end up with out homework. That is more of the idea of using time more wisely. The schools wouldn't be using the time to give you more classes in high school, but be bale to effectively learn during the time provided.

[deernardz]

Don't waste kids' time more than you already do. Looking at the slipping standards and quality of public schools, the only hope they have left is finding something productive and inspiring on their OWN time, more school ain't gonna provide it for them.

[MoPete15]

There's always going to be a huge divide between the public schools where you don't learn crap and the private schools where children of wealthier people attend.. Its all about class and wealth, just like everything else in America.. You better be fortunate enough to be born to a nice family or you're screwed..

[EndlessAxis]

more time? you'd burn out the kids, the school system needs to be re done completley, with 12th grade all about how to actualy live outside the school system and live on your own. also the way they teach history should be changed, i mean most people don't know shit about history its pathetic, walk up to people and ask them if they know what happened at tienemin square or at stalingrad or in the year xxxx-xxxx they won't know shit, then they just go on being ignorant >_>

[bkelsey4]

How about just teaching students the subjects they really need (reading,writing,math,science,­history,foreign languages,etc.)and get rid of subjects which you either can't learn in the short school period (music,art)or are nonsense(home ec.,electives)?You could shorten the school day almost by half or spend more time on important subjects.Let's face it:no one becomes YoYo Ma because of music class;it's all outside work.Just don't drop summer vacation.Kids need time to chill and just be kids.

[thepolice911copeland]

What if you want to be a musician most musicians gained alot from being in band so that is a horrible idea.

[kaje01]

I think what they need to do is start teaching kids about stuff that matters.

Kids today should be learning about how to make money. I believe the old curriculum should go for the most part, but there is a lot we can do away with. A lot of the math courses could go, as well as much of the history classes.

Teach kids how to make money, how to start their own businesses, how to climb the corporate ladder, etc.

[lllraverslll]

more time not spend with family .....

[stephenetienne]

Arne, all of this is bullshit if you're not going to pay teachers (Pre-K to 12) professional pay of $150,000 per year and higher.

[wildpeachatl737]

Since when has teaching become a big-money profession? Sure, they should be paid a wage in order to meet living standards, but there's something to be said for keeping pay in line. Keeps 'em honest and only the truly dedicated will pursue the profession.

More money, more problems and then you shift the focus as to why they're truly there.

[AtSwimTwoBricks]

Isn't it true that increases in education funding generally just go down the administration sinkhole? It may be best to change how money is spent, rather than just how much.

And aren't we consistently bettered by many foreign countries? What have we learned from them? What's preventing us from just copying their system?

[buckolfc69]

I really think that longer school days would be a waste of time, because if students want to learn they will and if they dont want to learn they wont.

I know this from self experience i did well in the subjects that i wanted to achive in and the ones that i didnt care about i didnt do well in.

so what i think is students will learn if they want to learn no matter how much time they have.

[WarDogLRS]

Just listen to this dumb ass Neo Con Fuck trying to brain wash your children with propaganda. Home school your young do not allow these low life's access to your young. Return to the constitutional way and you all will have control of this scum

[Slug99]

Quantity does not equal quality

[smsthalia]

I couldn't agree more.

[merdufer]

I have a feeling that these projects will turn into mandatory things that kids won't be interested in and won't enjoy.

[CitizenCindy]

I think your feeling is right.

[CitizenCindy]

Why not overhaul and reform the whole thing according to Waldorf education methods? Schools should foster creativity in children, not strangle their spirit and dull their ability to think critically. The school system is too far gone to be effectively tweaked. It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

[Sardonac]

Because Waldorf schooling is alternative for a reason. It's possible to foster creativity without pushing it to the extremes.

[CitizenCindy]

It's already been pushed to an extreme, the extreme of monotonous, lifeless, academic conformism. Twelve years of the relentless suffocation of the child's unique vision.

[doggamer5]

this guy is a moron

FIRST THING: HIRE BETTER TEACHERS or at least train the teachers you have to a better degree

Second thing: Work on the whole system, what is required and how is it taught

As a student in highschool i would like to point out that the primary thing holding me back is teachers

i would learn better on my own at home in half the time

[Blackliam]

I completely agree, it's all about the personality of the teacher

[smsthalia]

See if you can graduate in three years instead of four. I did, and I got into a highly ranked university, even when everyone said doing 3 years instead of 4 would ruin my chances.

[truthadvocate]

The more they keep your children at school the less time you'll have as a family. Public school had its chance. It failed miserably. Give us back our freedom. Don't force us to pay for schools we don't want to use. End the public school monopoly. Allow competition. Stop putting the desires of teacher union thugs above the needs of our children.

[alexh13211]

but the other thing is that there are not as many families as there used to be. after that i agree

[bkelsey4]

Hmmm,truthadvocate,how about some truth?There are plently of school choices out there.If you think that the public education system is so broken then you should be willing to pay the extra amount for them.Just about every major religion has its own schools as well as secular private schools and of course you can always homeschool your kids.Public schools have what you call a monopoly on the tax dollars because without them the majority of the public wouldn't be able to educate their children.

[truthadvocate]

Then why isn't the government willing to give those tax dollars to poor parents so they can send their kids to the school of their choice??? Because it's not about education. It's about control. Teacher unions fund the Democratic party. It's about public school teacher unions keeping their memberships high to line their own pockets. That's the truth. If they really cared about the children and about poor families they wouldn't shut down school choice programs that give them a fighting chance.

[stupidpablo1]

Teacher unions fund the Democratic party?

Teachers have money?

[ZamatoElite]

I think the days should be shortened, but there should be a host of after school programs like he said.

The summer needs to be shortened big time. In fact, I'd go as far to say that the summer break should be done away with all together. Give the kids 1-2 weeks off, then get them back in the learning environment.

Also, cut the extra bullshit out of schooling. Just teach he kids the basics and let them get the rest from their own academic careers.

[buckolfc69]

i aggree with teaching them the basics, but i think they should also learn about real life skills in school.

for example, money management (so they no how to manage there money when they leave home), keeping a house clean (vacuming, dish washing etc), cooking meals,

i could go on with what i think should be taught in schools, what im saying is it should be taught because there is people leaving home and not knowing how to cook or they dont no how to manage money properly.

[ZamatoElite]

I 100% agree with you on teaching them real life skills.

I think more emphasis on teaching logic, economics, and personal development skills (such as goal setting, personal ethics, manners, ect.)

The lower level schools should focus more on real life skills, while the college level focuses more on specialized education.

[merdufer]

ZamatoElite: While I agree with the rest, I think "personal development" education tends to end up being an empty waste of time.

It's one of those things that's different for everyone. You can only encourage them to explore what's best of them. You can't expect them to be in a classroom with a teacher and learn all about it.

[ZamatoElite]

By "personal development," I don't mean any of that "follow your dreams and everything will come true!" bullcrap! I think the students should be taught actually insightful and profound philosophy.

One example is Ayn Rand's philosophy. Her books literally changed the way I live my life. That is the kind of personal development I endorse.

[thepolice911copeland]

But im not an anarchist what should i do.

[ZamatoElite]

Kill yourself!