Secretary of Education Supports Twelve Hour School Days by Emily Doveala

Though most people in the United States are disagreeing on political matters these days, most people can agree that the election of Barack Obama to the presidency has caused many changes in the political world. One of the more influential changes on people in the U.S. is Obama’s appointment of Arne Duncan to the position of Secretary of Education. Duncan’s thoughts on education reform may soon have many drastic impacts on us kids. Duncan told the Daily Caller that he believes, “schools should be open 12, 13, 14 hours a day, seven days of the week, 11-12 months of the year.”

For high school students, this sounds like their worst nightmare come to life. Smithtown High School West student Shannon Elari said, “It’s too long. Students will not be able to concentrate. Our brains will be on overload.” High school students spend 30 hours a week at school and approximately 10 hours a week or more on homework. All this adds up to a 40 hour work week, which is equivalent to the average full-time job. The above average students also dedicate about 10 hours a week to afterschool sports and activities. Adding another 30 hours to school per week would give the average teenager practically no time for anything other than working.

Secretary Duncan’s opinion is that 12 hour school days would allow students to be more successful later on in life and would keep them off of the streets. Duncan grew up in Chicago, where some kids that lived on the streets were killed in gang disputes. His firsthand experience with this definitely influenced his perspective on education. However, twelve-hour school days wouldn’t stop the small percentage of kids in Smithtown from doing drugs.

Another problem with Duncan’s plan is that the funding for this would be tremendous. Teachers would either work double time and receive a double salary, or new teachers would have to be hired. For either option, schools would need double the amount of money for teacher’s salaries and would most likely require more funding. This funding comes from the taxpayers, who, during our current economic situation, can’t afford to pay more taxes.

An alternative to Duncan’s drastic idea would be to use school funding for new technology or programs. Smartboards could be installed in every classroom; new instruments could go to the music department; equipment could go to sports teams; and funding could provide the means for electives for every interest of every student. Getting students more involved and enthusiastic in school could be the solution to give students a brighter future, not overworking them.