by Betty Blake

Created on: April 23, 2010

It is time we face reality in respect of the educational system.  The ball has been dropped; and as a result, this generation of school children are paying dearly for it.  The system greatly needs an overall especially in the public schools.  And, one of the ways to give it a jolt, is to lengthen the school year.  Clearly, the system in place is not working effectively.  Yes, different strategies have been attempted. The reducing of class sizes, donating additional funds, and arming children with lap tops have not solved the problems.

Perhaps, this is the time to lengthen the school year.  A wise man once said that 'practice is the thing you do to be good, and not the other way around.'  This means the input of several 'man-hour' throughout the year in order to see true achievement. Of course, some will state that children are already bombarded with too much homework.  No doubt, balance is required.  And, as such, there should be a time for play and a period for serious work.

A few years ago a study was carried out over the course of five years with poor children in the public school system and children from the wealthiest private schools.  Statistics revealed that the poor children performed on par or much better than the wealthy children during the active school months.  However, when it came back to school in September, the rich children performed better than the poor children.

Clearly, one can see that being poor does not prevent one from learning and grasping knowledge.  The thing is, during summer break, rich children are fortunate to attend summer camps where they might be enrolled in special programs.  They visit museums and learn new skills.  More over, they are surrounded with books at home. On the other hand, the poor children do enjoy their summer breaks by maybe, vacation, playing video games,etc.  Unfortunately, they are not able to afford the life of their rich counterparts.  As a result, their skills in reading and maths get 'rusty.'

It is not surprising that the wealthier children have an edge over the poor children from the public schools. Majority of the teachers do superb jobs throughout the active school year.  However, it is during the summer or downtimes that children become lax and lose their skills when they return to the classroom.  Evidently, there needs to be continuous learning; and that means lengthening the school year.

It is obvious that brilliant minds are in the public school system, but if they are not fed consistently, they will wither away.  One cannot help but to observe the overall picture in regards to education in other lands. Already, many US children are unable to compete with their counterparts overseas in Maths and Science. The summer break is the period when many children seem to develop a deficiency in work.  In the US, the school year is 180 days.  In Korea, it is 220 days. And, in Japan, the school year is 243 days. 

If school authorities need to overall the school system, perhaps, they should replicate a piece from the Asians.  It is about time that the school year is lengthened in order to save the brilliant minds. Moreover, with the declining economy where many teachers have lossed their jobs, what better way to reinstate them. 

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