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4-day school week gains momentum in U.S. amid recession

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While there’s still debate about how much districts will save, proponents say the shortened week can improve attendance and teacher retention. As for academics, studies have shown the four-day schedule does not hinder student achievement, and may even help improve test scores.

OK, so why wasn't it looked at before?

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Our education system is severely flawed to start with. Now they're going to shorten the school week by one day? I thought Obama was for improving education?

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Here is a possible reason as to why it wasn't looked at before: The American government is very shortsighted. They make an attempt to fix problems when said problems bite them in the ass.

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Only teachers get a 4-day work week?

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Give the kids their 4 day week and send them down the coal pits on their day off.

Are you serious?

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What we need is a six day week while maintaining the two day weekend. This way the work week is shorter as well. A lot of families will not be able to cope with the kids at home one day while the parents are still working.

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I thought Obama was for improving education?

This isn't Obama's doing.

"With U.S. school districts strapped for cash, more are considering . . . Class only four days a week."

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"What we need is a six day week while maintaining the two day weekend. This way the work week is shorter as well."

I'm sorry, but I'm not getting the math on this. What do you mean?

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Money and education should have no relevance to each other. Education shouldn`t be a business.

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Obama. What a disaster. We just passed the largest "stimulus" package in the history of the republic. It included 5 billion for the shakedown artists at ACORN, who Obama used to mentor. It included 300 million for "green" golf carts. And yet we are supposed to believe that school districts across the country, already among the most generously financed in the world,are strapped for cash?

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Obama. What a disaster.

rollonarte, the greatest disaster I have seen recently have been your posts.

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"Obama. What a disaster."

You're not giving the Democrat-controlled Congress any credit for the disaster.

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5 billion for the shakedown artists at ACORN

rollonarts you are pathetically wrong.

1) The stimulus bill is for 4 billion and change and is distributed to the whole country.

2) ACORN is not even mentioned in the bill and "ACORN has denied that it is eligible for "neighborhood stabilization funds" and has stated that it does not intend to apply for them".

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rollonarte,

" . . . we are supposed to believe that school districts across the country, already among the most generously financed in the world,are strapped for cash?"

Teachers, for example, have had to buy school supplies for their classrooms with their own pocket money for going on the better part of two decades now. Yet here you are, expressing shocked disbelief that schools are strapped for money, as if this is the first you've heard of it.

That you are so oblivious to this widely known fact is a big part of why education in the US is in such dire straits. You, as do most Americans who consistently rank education way down on the list of national priorities, behind “The War On Terror,” the economy, and who’s on American Idol tonight, don't seem to have any idea whatsoever of what's actually going on in the nation's schools beyond short the blurbs you pick up in the news.

You selfishly assume the education of our nation's children is strictly someone else responsibility. And when something goes wrong, you immediately lay the blame on anyone and anything else but you. God bless America, where the “We” in the Declaration of Independence preamble has long since taken a backseat to simply “Me, Me, Me.”

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"As for academics, studies have shown the four-day schedule does not hinder student achievement, and may even help improve test scores."

You mean US education levels are going to remain as poor and as flawed as ever. So the rich kids are going to keep getting a good education and the poor are going to have an extra day to work at the Sifto salt mines.

sarge: "You're not giving the Democrat-controlled Congress any credit for the disaster."

You and rollanarte sure are confused today (more than normal, I mean). They are not SUDDENLY strapped for cash, since January, my friend... they are strapped for cash because of the policies of a certain former government -- they were left behind.

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I count among family and relatives five people who have been employed in public school systems in some of the most liberal states on the W Coast.

The faux indignation of some here is amusing. It's bad enough with the non-Americans in Japan, completely ignorant about a country they obsess about constantly for some reawson, but when the article says

State laws govern how many days students must attend class each year.

and yet you read here that Bush is somehow personally to blame for what what teachers' unions have, with plenty of help from the Democrat Party, done to our schools or that for two decades now teachers have suposedly had to pay out of their own pockets for school supplies blah blah blah all you can do is laugh and shake your head.

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Education shouldn`t be a business." then tell that to the thousands of teacher unions out there, who litterally force districts to hire unqualified teachers...as well as tell it to those giving out the purchasing contracts (see, I have a bit of knowledge about this with my business) for some of the most stupidest things.

Anyway, this idea is good for a school's district but it is going to be hard on parents as now what the hell do they do with theirs for yet another whole day off while they work. See, most of these districts are low income earners. Bad enough they need a two income house hold. What do they want, one parent to join the welfare rolls?

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rollonarte,

" . . . we are supposed to believe that school districts across the country, already among the most generously financed in the world,are strapped for cash?"

All school districts are not funded equally. If your school is located in a wealthy areas you get better equipped schools and theoretically better educations. Your local school taxes pay for the schools in your district. Which is the one reason for the decline of the Education in the US. It is not balanced unless you are wealthy. Which is why Obama wants to revamp the system because his predecessor did very little for the people and a lot for the Oil companies. For country a to be great the standard of living needs to be good for everybody with varying degrees. Not great for a small few and crap for everyone else. That system once existed in England which why is why America was founded. Very un-American on your part. Would you like to go back to that system? You, Sarge and some others comments are pathetic considering what our last President did. Selective memory seems to be "talento" with your bunch.

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Teachers' Unions are among the Democrat Party's staunchest supporters. And it's mutual.

The Ayers - Obama link is no coincidence.

Case in point: New York. 80,000 public school teachers. In the period from '02 to '06, after investigating cases with everything from sexual predation (where teachers even admitted to their guilt) to documented incompetence, city authorities were only able to get two teachers fired, with taxpayers footing bills for astronomical fees in the fight the unions put up.

Stupid in America Why your kids are probably dumber than Belgians.

http://www.reason.com/news/show/33014.html

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Money and education should have no relevance to each other. Education shouldn`t be a business.

This is America. Money means everything....

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This has "Teachers' Union" written all over it. Other state and municipal offices are shifting to a 4-day work week and there is no doubt the teachers and school administrators want the same benefit. But this hurts students with after school activities, like sports, and older students who may have part-time jobs. It denies kids 5 days of instruction. If the schools want to realize cost savings, they should switch their defined benefit pensions over to a 401k system like everyone in the private sector gets stuck with.

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Money means choice, which is why the control-freak Left is so determined to confiscate as much as possible, via taxation.

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Teachers' Unions are among the Democrat Party's staunchest supporters. And it's mutual.

The Ayers - Obama link is no coincidence.

Rollonarte,

You are points don't make any sense. Just grasping at straws. You are jumping from one thing to another. Why don't you try address some the issues brought up about your points instead of changing the subject. Maybe because your points don't really relate to the issue. Very weak arguments!

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Why don't you try address some the issues brought up about your points instead of changing the subject.

He is trying. Very trying in fact. But what you are asking for would require a complete cranial overhaul and I doubt he can afford it.

His way might be COMPLETELY devoid of logic and sense, or even sound facts. But what he is aiming for is the heart, in a sense. It is what brain-washers and hypnotists do. Eventually, the weak minded will believe whatever you tell them, you just have to tell them enough times. Dems bad. Dems bad. Dems bad. Dems bad. Dems bad. I bet you are thinking that Dems are bad right about now, hmmm? It might be bouncing around in your skull now that I have planted it there. It might even stick to something.

Even more damning against him though is that he is not an originator of this pap, but merely a relay station. We would all be a lot better off for just skipping over his posts.

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I did not know USa are in such a bad situation.

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I'm sorry, but I'm not getting the math on this. What do you mean?

Shorten the seven day work week to six days. Then you have about 61 weeks a year instead of 52. Then, assuming 9 months of school, you have about about 91 total weekend days in a school year instead of the current 78. What they are proposing is about 117 weekend days. Too many I think.

My way adds 13 extra free days in that nine month period for everybody. Their way adds 39 for just the kids. And those 39 days will a BIG headache for parents. The 13 will be easier for everyone as everyone will have them off.

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Quick quiz: America's two largest defense contractors, four largest oil companies, and two largest teachers unions - who spent the most donating to candidates of their choice in the last election cycle?

That's right. It was the poor, struggling teachers' unions.

Lockheed Martin, the top recipient of military contracts most years, spent more on politics than any other defense firm in the 2008 elections. They still spent less than the American Federation of Teachers, which shelled out $2.8 million in the last cycle—with nearly every AFT dime going to Democrats.

The top two teachers unions—AFT and the National Education Association—spent more combined, $5.27 million, than the top two defense contractors.

The top five lobbying firms, combined, didn’t equal the AFT and the NEA in federal contributions in the 2008 cycle. Both of the teachers unions gave more than any oil company, and the NEA and AFT combined gave more than the top four oil companies combined.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/columns/TimothyCarney/Teachers-unions-say-jump-Congress-says-how-high-40384837.html

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And rollonart gives us yet another post that is going to take us a lot more time to pick apart than it took him to cut and paste.

2.8 million? 5.27 million combined? And that is spread among a bunch of politicians? Any idea what it takes to run a campaign?

What a fascinating story about peanuts! I am sure some poster more informed than I will point out other fallacies before too long. As usual, I suspect that post is chock full of them.

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That's right. It was the poor, struggling teachers' unions.

Oi! Illiterate guy! Yeah, you, rollonarte.

The article is about SCHOOL DISTRICTS being short on operating cash. NOT teachers unions. School districts and teachers unions are not the same thing, not even a little bit. If you're going to try to argue, a least take the time to read the actual article before putting your foot in your mouth.

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The US spends too much money on education. The question is how to make the money spent more effective.

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"Obama. What a disaster"

I'm still so deeply bitter and upset about Senator McCain's defeat that I ignore and/or critisize everything the Obama administration does, whether I understand it or not, or indeed if it's good for America or not.

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SuperLib: "The US spends too much money on education. The question is how to make the money spent more effective."

I concur 100% on the second part, but what are basing the 'too much' part on? I mean, if you compared it to military spending or money on unnecessary wars, how much is it to actually educate a person in the US by comparison? Wasn't it one year in Iraq, for example, that could provide the money to give every single American a free post-secondary education? That would be a more effective use of American money bottom line, and ensure an actual future instead of destruction for a whole lot of people. As to the money that's already there for education, though, it can probably, as with anything else, see some better allocation and distribution.

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smith I think the US ranks near the top in terms of spending per child overall. The question is how to spend money effectively, but even that's up for debate since the US doesn't really focus on standardized tests like other nations do which is how a lot of the rankings are decided.

I'll ignore your comments about Iraq since they're useless to my point and deal more with your obsession with Iraq and George Bush.

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I really don't understand what the Canadian obsession with the liberation of Iraq has to do with states' budgets for their schools.

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Heh, so you're replying to LFR's slap-down by introducing Canada and Iraq?

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rollonarte: "I really don't understand what the Canadian obsession with the liberation of Iraq has to do with states' budgets for their schools."

This from a guy who doesn't understand the difference between a board of education and a union, and who, as Madverts pointed out, cannot address the beating he took from LFR.

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