This whole idea is just pandering to teachers' unions. We've given them 70 years with disastrous results. I's time to pull the plug. Stop sending your kids to these brain washing machines! Take responsibility for your kids' education!

He's doing it for the kids. The more time he can keep them in school being brainwashed by liberal teachers, the less time they can be influenced by opposing radical right-wing extremists – such as parents.

While I agree our educations system is broke, I think we need to fix it, not just throw out the baby with the bathwater and start over. First, get rid of teachers unions. They are a leg chain on the change needed in schools. Second, do not fear to segregate students based on their academic achievements and abilities. If a kid fails, mark the failure in red ink, and don't pass him/her. There needs to be consequences for lack of success, whether that failure is intentional, laziness, or just lack of intellect. Society needs garbage men and not everyone can be a rocket scientist. Once this philosophy get re-instilled in this nations psyche, we will be better able to prepare our kids for the future.

"Society needs garbage men…"

Hence the creation of the Liberal Arts degree.

Hey, I have one; I can joke.

As always a Gregalicious take on current events.

This is like the old joke where to people are complaining about the food in a restaurant when one says,"The food is not very good" and the other responds, "And the portions are so small"

Who, except for a Teacher's Union thug thinks that MORE of a bad thing will make it better?

If you want to see an effective use of a long school day take a look at KIPP Schools

Also, the comments by the Sec. of Education makes it clear that the Gov. run school should be the social/educational/moral center of your child's life, not the family.

Awesome job of trying to undermine the family unit!

"And if you disagree with me, you`re probably a racist."

Priceless.

If fierce commentary were a melon, I'd ball him and pop him in my mouth, probably with some cured meat.

He also said that our current school year is based on the agrarian calendar, and that we "don't have a lot of kids needing to miss school to work in the fields anymore," or something like that. Which doesn't really make sense, because right now all their time off is in the summer, the part of the year where there typically isn't much to do in the fields. Not here in Iowa, anyway. Maybe walk beans or detassel, but that's about it. If what he said made sense, they would have a month long break in the spring and fall for planing and harvesting season, not three months in the summer.

I 2nd the recommendations for the KIPP schools and OUI Magazine. I'm a big fan of both!

Arne Duncan was in charge of Chicago schools, which got progressively worse under his 'leadership'. He got the Secretary's job because he was just another Chicago machine political hack, who backed the 'Won's' use of $100 mill Annenburg money, which never made a dent in grades but made some insiders a nice little chunk of change.

Oh… but we can't do that…. We would hurt their wittle feeings if we mark in red or fail them…. </sarc>

The high school honors kids, the ones actually trying to get into a good college, are overloading themselves so much that kids are burning out like crazy. Not only do they have a harder courseload than the kids not taking the honors classes, but they're also usually the ones with a variety of extra-curricular activities, because a 4.0 GPA just doesn't cut it anymore if you want to get into a decent college. In an attempt to be well-rounded, they're burning the candle at both ends. I went to school with tons of kids like that. I WAS a kid like that. I burnt out after my freshman year of college, and I took four years off before going back, because I needed the time to regroup and get my priorities in order. A friend of mine burnt out after the first semester of her freshman year, and still hasn't gone back. Some kids are putting off college for years. Others are burning out in high school.

Twelve-hour days and classes every other Saturday isn't going to help, it's going to give the kids a mental breakdown.

I may be way off base here, but I'm thinking one of the reasons is to better indoctrinate children with regards to "global warming". After all, what child wants to sit in a classroom in the summer heat? Even with AC, they still have to travel to & from school, as well as participate in outside activities while the sun is blazing.
As a child, I remember playing outside during the hot summer days and I can't imagine what it would be like having to attend school during those hot days. A child might just be nieve enough to think that if only we did something about global warming, next summer would surely be cooler.

I've always heard that's the reason for the basic schedule, a three month break to work in the fields. I've never attempted to prove it, but it still sounds logical to me. I think that part is true.

Which I also think would be a first, the truth coming out of the President's mouth. Let me check the window to see if there are any flying pigs out there.

My father and my uncle both were garbage men for their careers, and they didn't need no stinkin' liberal arts degree.

This will never fly. The President is hardly the first in office to mention it on their wish list. But it will not happen.

If you tell the teacher's unions they have to work 33% more days, they will demand a 33% pay increase. And that means 33% more money to the pension funds, which really hit local property owners who foot the bill – at least in NY.

That would be almost impossible to sell to the public under the best of economic conditions, much less the worst in recent memory. And I don't see state, or local governments going into hock to cover it. They're already in over their head.

Well it's really important to have 365 day / year school, otherwise you never memorize the whole Koran.

Who's teaching kids to memorize the Koran?

I resent your insinuation that my children are evil. Sure, they're misguided and impish, and have the ability to start fires through telekinesis. But does that make them "evil"?

I have to agree Greg, more does not mean better. What it means is more Obama Time. If Obama fancies himself as intelligent and wants to pass this on, we are in BIG trouble. Education is supposed to be freeing to the mind.

They don't need to waste any more time with the public babysitter than they already do. I have a friend who has a daycare. She only has the kids until they're three, then they're sent to preschool. I can't even imagine! Two years of preschool, and year of kindergarten (apparently lots of schools are making that all day now, it was only half day when I was in school) then twelve years……They can be irritating, and yes, the smearing mucous thing is gross, but they shouldn't be caged for fifteen years.

This about applying an inner city, urban school band aid to all schools, most of which don;t need them. Obama et. al. have tunnel vision at best. Anyone notice that any neighborhood ACORN has been in for any length of time has gotten worse? And as for making this about more teacher time, no, it's about hiring cheap aides and babysitters for after school. Another gimme job program.

Where did this 12 hour school day come from? (Link please.) There are huge problems, just from a labor standpoint.

Exhibit A) Teachers need to be present for all instruction time, plus planning, grading, etc. With the current 7ish hour school day, teachers work at least 8 hours each day. More if you're a coach. A 12 hour day for students would translate to at least a 13 hour day for teachers. More instruction time would probably mean more assignments, and more assignments means more grading, so it may end up 14 or so hours. a day.

Exhibit A') 12 hours x 5 days = 60 hours. Overtime pay? As I understand it, most school systems are in budget crunches as is. If the school week is half again as long without commensurate pay, union or not, there will be strikes.

Exhibit B) The Department of Labor mandates that for every 4 hour period of work, the employee gets a half hour off. (Could be 15 minutes, my memory's fuzzy.) If the employee works 8 hours a day, he gets a 1 hour break for a meal. Now a 12 hour day tranlates to at least 1 hour, 15 minutes worth of break. Are kids going to be in the school building from 7 am to 8 pm? Does this get into child labor law territory?

Exhibit C) Homework? Sports? French Club? Yearbook? Extra-curricular activities of any designation? The grocery store/fast food/movie theater economy that runs on the back of teenage labor? Something tells me that the laid off factory workers won't be willing to pick up the slack at Burger King for $5.25/hr. Has anyone considered that? What about burnout?

If this 12 hour schoolday is serious, and not gross exaggeration….It's idiotic to even bring it up in Congress. Wasting taxpayer money debating something this assinine….

This should be a matter for local school boards. Not the federal government. Obama seems to have a problem with the contitution. At least with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th amendments!

"we`re all just hicks from the sticks who think Belgium is only a name for one of those fruity, overpriced beers."

Not me. I'm smarter than that. It's also a name for waffles!

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!!! YOU ARE SUPER CORRECT, SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PROOF: 1] IT WAS A JIMMY CARTA IDEA…
2] HOW MUCH BETTER HAS EDUCATION GOTTEN IN THIS COUNTRY IN THE LAST 30 YRS?
3] THE PLACES THAT SPEND THE MOST PER STUDENT ARE SOME OF THE WORST IN RESULTS
4] HOW MUCH MONEY FROM PARENTS SENDING KIDS TO PRIVATE SCHOOL/HOME
SCHOOLING HAS BEEN WASTED, AS THEY OBVIOUSLY DON'T APPROVE OF PUBLIC
SCHOOL FOR THEIR OWN KIDS… [WHY SHOULD THEY PAY AT ALL?]
5] HAVING A HUGE NATIONAL BUREAUCRACY OVERSEE/REGULATE/MANDATE THINGS THAT
HAD BEEN HANDLED ON A LOCAL LEVEL FOR DECADES & DECADES,AND, WAS [THEN] THE
ENVY OF THE WORLD IS NOT REALLY A GOOD IDEA IN ANY FIELD, EVER, FOR ANY SOCIETY….
6] IT WAS A JIMMY CARTA IDEA

I'm a conservative public school teacher and I really get upset with everyone dissing us. I thoroughly agree that there are problems with the public schools and that throwing more money at them will not make them better, but to lump us all in the same boat as the urban inner city schools is doing us a disservice. I teach high school economics and government and the students in my class are getting a classic education in those subjects. I am teaching them about the great benefits of the free market and the wonders of our Constitution, because that is what I believe. If someone said I had to teach it a different way I would do one of two things, leave my job or teach my way, even if it means being fired. For me teaching is one of the most important things I can do.
That said, I know the system is broken and that the best way to fix it is to get the government out of the business. When the federal government holds out a wad of cash and says "If you want this, you have to do this" the lure of the $$ is too temping for most cash strapped districts to ignore and thus the district is enslaved.
Another of the issues that needs to be addressed is the idea that all students must go to college. We need to look at a divided school system, where students who show the aptitude go on to prepare for college and those that show aptitude for vocational work, get the training for a career and spend some time working as an apprentice in the field.
The last issue to be addressed is the fact we teach everyone. Unlike private or parochial schools, we have to take every student who crosses the doorway and we have to keep them, pretty much no matter what they do. It makes no difference if they have been in 5 schools in the last year, been in the juvenile system for most of their life, are behavior problems or are straight A honor students who come from 2 parent households and are the children of teachers. So comparing public and private schools is much like comparing US to foreign schools, it's apples to oranges.

ACORN is an acronym CORAN. Don't you see how it all fits together.

Grandpa and Grandma go to the Death Panel.
Mom and Dad are racists.
Kids learn the CORAN.

mmm…..mmmm…..mmmmm …..Barack Obama!

Don't get all wee-wee'd up.

I work at a museum and have constant dealings with the local schools and year-round schools are hardly an original idea. About 10 years ago many school districts across the country tried it including a few here, usually having 3 school sessions per year with 2 week vacations in between. They all returned to the traditional schedule after a couple years. Working parents found it harder to figure out what to do with kids having three short vacations per year than with one long vacation (like sending them to summer day-camps at the museum). Plus, there was one group who really enjoyed having three-month vacations during the summer: the teachers.

LOL!!

I believe that I heard it in a sound bite to tell you the truth…. I had stumbled upon a talk radio show where the commenter was picking apart a speech of his… I will see if I can find an actual link…

and on a side note… love the use of prime…

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10140#f...

here you go… it's an interview with Arne Duncan and Charlie Rose…. there is a transcript tab a little lower… but Arne suggests that schools should be open for 12-14 hours a day… he says it explicitly… Now whether it's to turn schools into community centers of sorts or it's to actually teach I do not know….. mostly because I really can't stand to listen to a man who is our education secretary and cannot speak properly…

I have to agree with this….

"If my 5 year old son had to sing one of these lame ass Praise Obama songs in class i would march down to that school and turn that teachers skull into my creal bowl!" Bravo! My darling 11 year old daughter, when asked what she learned from Obama's back-to-school speech, replied, "I learned to vote Republican when I grow up." The only defense to indoctrination is to get to them first. (I highly recommend a children's book entitled, "Mom! Help! There are liberals under my bed!"

I don't know where you find these college grads who can't read. I've never met one.

Oh yea, I forgot about that. George Bush walks around with marbles in his mouth for 8 years but Obama slips up once in the middle of a campaign and you just can't let it go.

You might be a fine example then, giving you credit for a college degree, as Old_Tom wrote "We're graduating kids from college today who can barely read at the eighth grade level." Barely read. Barely read. Not the same as can't read.

I'm around college kids all day at work (thankfully not as a prof, though the salary would be nice), and some of them are indeed appalling. If they're too frikkin' stoopid, or just too rotten lazy, to flush a commode, to not pee on the floor, or not wear their pants around their knees, then why the heck are they wasting resources in adult kindergarten? Erm, I meant college. And yes, I am NOT talking about all the wonderful, bright young minds tirelessly slugging their ways through despite having to share classes with these hemorrhoids.

I'll ascribe an awful lot of nastiness to the NEA, but not this particular bit. School hours from 7:45 AM to 5 PM? That means, in a BEST case scenario, teachers have to show up at 7:15, and can't leave until 5:30. That's at least 10 hours, 15 minutes in the contractual day, and most teachers will tell you the planning and paperwork often extend way beyond the contractual day. I can't think of a single teacher (myself included) that would be happy about that. If this were to go through, it's my belief you'd see teachers (the good ones, that actually put in time and tons of emotional effort) jumping ship right and left. And before someone comes back with "But lots of people put in those kinds of hours, everyday!" . . . Think about putting in those hours with your children and between 30 (elementary school) and 180 (middle/high school) of their peers.

Wait you asked the question of what 57 states were about and I told you.
Obama slips up once? Who said it was a slip up. Pls give me a break.
I don't know what the well thought of, by rational people, Pres. Bush has to do with it.
Pres Bill Clinton had his mouth around Lewinski's breast a good share of the time
but so what its not part of the present discussion.

Work has me driving around LA a lot, unfortunately, and one thing I’ve noticed is that kids [elementary school] are out at around 1:30. They’re in school about 5 hours, 1 hour for lunch and smoke break which leaves 4 hours to finger painting, singing songs to Dear Leader and participating in walkouts with union teachers. Although they’ll graduate semi-literate they’ll be perfectly suitable for a govt job; probably our future dentists under govt healthcare. If we keep kids in these liberal controlled schools longer I'm afraid they'll come out completely illiterate.

Ok…. even in Europe they don't go to school for 12 hours a day…. at least not in the Netherland's during the 90's (where my dad was stationed)… they went until 4pm (and they sure as hell didn't go to school at 4 am)… and on Wednesdays (I believe) they had half a day where the got out at noon… Yeah… 12 hours… what a load of crock…

Has anyone listened to the Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, speak? That man needs to go back to middle school English class… I know I am not perfect in my grammar and spelling… but I am also not the Secretary of Education either…

And European kids had a TON of vacation time… it was just doled out more evenly than lumping it all into one "vacation" period….

ADD: Oh and they want kids in school for 6 or 7 days a week too… according to Arne…. Really 6 or 7 days a week? What a moron.

Ok… I know Wikipedia is hardly the holy grail of information but according to their webpage on him he has never even taught a class …. And he is the education secretary? What the hell does he know about teaching then? Because he took a class or two? or wrote a thesis about it? That's as bad as Al Gore being an "expert" on climate change because he took an ecology class back in the '70's… :/

Just because I was a peer tutor for a year does not make me a teacher… Again… Moron…

Just affirms my case that whatever we do we will NEVER put our kids into public schools… of any kind… :/

Note: I may be ranting about this moron quite a bit now…. Thanks, Greg!

Here's what nobody is talking about, so let me be the first to say what I think the reality is:

Increased school hours = increased teachers FTE hours = increased teacher pay = unions happy = obama base happy = obama votes = obama happy

The goal is to buy THEIR votes, with YOUR money.

The end.

Poor kids. Most often youth learn and experience more outside of the school system. With homework, children are increasingly having less time to experience and enjoy life. Instead, they will be stuck in classrooms learning unimportant drivel by union teachers who half the time would be fired in any other job for their incompetence. If this goes through, children can kiss their childhood goodbye.

My own father stopped going to school after Grade 6. He makes a decent living right now. He reads more than most people I know. He is better at math than most people I know. He wishes he got to finish school, but he is nonetheless proof that the school system isn't everything, as he's generally more well-learned than most of my fellow high school graduates.

The sad thing is that all the research has been done on what helps children learn the best. The factors that affect education the most are in order:
1. Pre school
2. Amount of time the children are read to before the age of 5.
3. How much access the children have to books before they start school.
4. Kindergarten
5. Teacher student ratio
6. Parent involvement in homework, school activities, etc.
7. The amount of flexibility that the teachers have to match the teaching style to the students.

Actually, what I said was, "barely read AT THE EIGHTH GRADE LEVEL".

See, what you did was read my simple 15 word sentence without processing the prepositional modifier, which puts you at about the third grade level in terms of comprehension.

That being the case, there's probably no point in continuing this discussion.

nah… not really…. it's not nearly as regulated as one might think (that's why there are some crazies running around)…. I was a product of home schooling…
While my study skills were superior to my peers, my time management skills sorely lacked… and still do..

I agree with a few posters here (the non-hysterical ones) who point out that quantity doesn't equal quality. I think we'd do well to increase both, but certainly quality. Our education system is in the toilet and it's getting worse and worse–we're at the bottom of the list of developed nations.

Why would you ask such a question? Out of all the questions you could have asked, that's what you chose?

Yeah, ok, Obama has been thinking there are 57 states all his life. He's stupid, right.

OK, by your own admission you're lacking in time management skills, yet you think you should home school? Good Lord…

I'm married to a conservative (former) public school teacher who is currently working in the private sector. You, sir or ma'am as the case may be, are a minority. God bless you for what you do, but the public schools by and large are failing as the nuclear family fails. The schools are not so much "broken"; the FAMILY is "broken" and you get stuck with the kids. There's not much you can do to fix that. Maybe you can save a few individuals who would have otherwise been lost.

Educators have always been "liberal" compared to the population in general. This was true, I think, in the 30s to the same degree that it's true now. Most teachers are harmless mediocrities at best, a few are very, very bad, and a few are brilliant and actually change students' lives. My wife is one of the latter, and it sounds from your post as though you may be one too. I hope so.

PS: "Sadly, teachers unions have created a lock on jobs for even the most moronically incompetent"
You forgot to mention the child molesters that are protected by the interminable firing process devised by the teachers' unions.

[...] Hollywood: Daily Gut: Obama’s School Plan by Greg [...]

You are absolutely right. It's the breakdown of the family that is fueling all of this.

Yes… I don't care for that either… /but/ I might consider ANY of his proposals IF he could speak like an educated man… :/

Doesn't mean that I can't do it….. :/ and they aren't NEAR as bad as they used to be… They just aren't as efficient as they could be or could have been….

You're lucky you didn't get a rock through your windshield from some SEIU "enforcer".

[...] problem, as Gutfield notes, is that more of shit is still shit. If we provided a good education and a learning conducive [...]

My Judo Sensei (Roku-dan – 6th degree black belt) is a retired public high school teacher. After teaching geology and astronomy for several years, he finished his career, teaching "remedial math" to unmotivated, surly students (several times, he had to put his Judo skills to use breaking up fights). After sending his own kids to public school for a semester, he switched them to a local parochial school which they attended for several years before he took on their homeschooling. Both of his kids are now attending a Catholic high school. Anectodal evidence, yes, but I'm running into more and more parents that are taking their kids out of the public school system.

I will not read anything written with the CAPS LOCK key on. If God Almighty had carved the original Ten Commandments in all caps I wouldn't read that either. Which He kind of did, come to think of it. Assuming they were written in Hebrew or Aramaic…

Anyway, my point is, KNOCK IT OFF. IT MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE AN ANGRY THIRD-GRADER.

If they manage to pass the Health Care Bill—everything else we are fighting is a lost cause!

As we try to cover all the fronts they are attacking us on, they are behind the scenes attempting to attach the Health Bill to another bill and pass it without our knowledge.

Look over here see what is going on–no no not over there–OVER HERE!**

The average uneducated, unenlightened, or simply unthinking, go-along- just do not understand the extent of interference in every persons, every day life this bill will bring.
**This does not matter **The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% are opposed to the plan.

I don't know, Tom. I have a degree in Philosophy, and I can't even GET a job as a garbage man.

Hello America,
Our administration has plans to place the "state" between parents and their children. They want the Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which would go much further in ruining our children's future than even 365 days of school per year. Read http://www.parentalrights.org or parentalrightstn.blogspot.com.
THEIR ULTIMATE PLAN ????
Basically, parents should wake their children before dawn, dress them, and take them to the bus stop.
The "state" will feed them, teach them, guide them, exercise them, and return them just in time for bed.
The parent will pick them up, dress them in pajamas, and tuck them in bed.
Next day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, the cycle continues.

Sincerely,
Eric Potter MD

you are so correct its not even funny……

And I don't know what the hell memorizing the Koran has to do with Obama slipping up on the number of states in the union but don't go barking up the Clinton tree with me because I won't bite. Not a big fan of Bill.
And I thought it was more like Lewinski's mouth around old Bill's 3rd leg.

In Bill's case one thing sorta led to the other.
A semblance to what Pres.Obama, if not stopped,
will have your kids doing, eventually, learning the Koran.
Intended consequences or unintended, thats the way we are headed.
I wouldn't expect koolaid drinkers to accept the argument.

Canadian,you had better take a good look at what your friends in Britain
are experiencing, where Sharia law is in effect in certain areas and for the moment
only covers up to certain levels of crime but you have to start somewhere.
There are certain muslims areas the police will not enter.
Canada has their own problems with muslims in Vancover B.C. While
the continuation of democracy in the USA is one concern it is also a concern
in your country and others. Like a lady Blogger I know whose favorite saying is WAKE UP.

Your closer to Britain now then you were 10 years ago.
They were discussing Sharia law in Vancover not long ago.
I don't know the outcome but the muslim problem is not static.
It doesn't let up, Dearborn Mi. is a sterling example of
appeasing them and the results. Ignore at your peril.
Also, please keep your nationalized insurance plan
you folks or some of you folks are so in fond of..

Ok. You're Canadian. Apparently that is why you were not able to recognize that the initial comment about the Koran was meant to be humorous.

And then when LLOROB replied to your serious reply to the comical statement by saying the "57 States" he was also being humorous.

Recalling that your country has produced Mike Meyers and Martin Short, I recognize that you don't understand humor, eh?

LOLOLOL………..just LOLOl…….

This is just another plan to brainwash the children of America into "progressive" thinking. Follow me here… more school = less time with parents = "teachers" will have more influence in children's lives/ideologies = making parents' rules, morals, ethics irrelevant = future liberal voters = decline of traditional american values and disrespect of the Constitution = America's ultimate decline = welcome to France!

noooooooo i hate skool

ROCKS YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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