Push for a Longer School Day Essay Example
Push for a Longer School Day Essay Example

Push for a Longer School Day Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (523 words)
  • Published: March 12, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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Pupils in the U.S. generally spend around six and a half hours at school per day, totaling to one hundred and eighty days per year. A lot of specialists in the educational sector hold the opinion that presently, children do not have sufficient time within the school’s schedule to cover all of the necessary curriculum. Numerous overseas nations allocate more time for learning during school hours, but is America ready for such a sort of dedication? Due to state and national mandates, today's educators and academic institutions are feeling immense pressure to advance student learning.

The No Child Left Behind Act, a legislation passed by the federal government in 2002, requires annual standardized tests in schools to measure students' academic progress and comprehension. As a result, states are enforcing that both students and schools must pass these standardized tests to graduate. Therefo

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re, states have set up standards and systems to ensure students gain the exact knowledge required for their grade level. If a school persistently fails to meet the standard in test results, it may lose its federal funding which could possibly lead to its shutdown.

The enlargement in the curriculum, in response to mounting pressure, necessitates teachers to undertake more responsibilities and many argue that extending the school hours can alleviate this stress. A proponent of the longer school day, Christopher Gabrieli of Massachusetts 2020— a non-profit educational body, commented, “As the difficulty of bringing up children to meet standards becomes apparent, we identify the need for extra time to educate them.” At present, the strain educators endure to prepare instruction targeted at examinations is evident.

Should school days become extended, educators might have the room fo

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creativity in their instruction again. This could provide the requisite time for teachers to incorporate various modes of teaching and cater to the needs of diverse learners to ensure they comprehend the curriculum thoroughly. Charter schools that have proven successful, like the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), suggest that such an increase in study time can lead to higher academic achievements, especially for students who are considered at risk.

Despite the numerous supporters advocating for lengthening the school day due to its benefits, realistically it's a financial burden that many states and school districts cannot shoulder. On average, stretching the school day would engender an additional cost of $1,200 per student. This increases budget strains even further when considering the inevitable rise in wages for school staff. For instance, districts may end up spending an extra $20,000 annually for experienced teachers due to these extended working hours.

The implementation of prolonged school days in Massachusetts exclusively would incur an extra expense of $656,500 yearly for taxpayers. In areas with five elementary schools responsible for the education of their children, the annual cost could reach nearly $3.3 million. Opposition to this extension also comes from parents, some of whom hold the view that such long sessions would be too draining for their children who may not be mentally or physically equipped for it. These parents also express concerns about how such a change would impact their family times by reducing the amount they can spend with their children.

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