All-day school schedules

rowdypanther12 said:Oh, here we go...
I'm sure they'll realize everything wrong with the draft eventually and fix it then. 😁

Honestly, rolling out this current experiment to every school after four years makes zero sense. It would be smarter to just cook up a brand-new pilot program to tap into more USA federal grants. That way, you just cycle through new "experiments" every few years to keep the funding flowing. Looking at it strictly from a financial standpoint.

If they kept lunch on the menu until 2:00 PM, I honestly wouldn't even complain—it would be fine by me. And then, of course, everything else could just be optional for whoever actually feels like showing up...
If it were possible to set things up that way, I’d be all for it, but you're saying it isn't. Well, then I guess there's nothing more to say about it.

This whole experiment is headed for a total disaster.
I’ve been sitting here counting up the schools in my neighborhood—I think I hit about ten of them just now.
Out of those ten, not a single one actually meets the requirements for full-day programming. Which basically means we’d need to build at least ten more schools from scratch.
And that’s just looking at one single neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Even if they somehow managed to scrape together the funding for it, there simply aren't enough workers available to get all that construction done within a four-year window.

mellowskipper said:If they kept lunch on the menu until 2:00 PM, I honestly wouldn't even complain—it would be fine by me. And then, of course, everything else could just be optional for whoever actually feels like showing up...
If it were possible to set things up that way, I’d be all for it, but you're saying it isn't. Well, then I guess there's nothing more to say about it.

It actually would be doable if they cut the weekly hours down from 33 to a maximum of 25—maybe even 20 if they factor in homework and lunch breaks.😁

rowdypanther12 said:Does anyone remember the name of that journalist over at NBC who covers education? I can't seem to Google it—my brain is just totally fried today. I want to see if she's ever done an interview or a segment on this topic; from what I recall, she’s actually pretty sharp and really knows her stuff.

There was actually a full episode of her show on Yahoo! (it airs Friday afternoons) dedicated entirely to this subject about a month ago. They brought in all sorts of people—supporters, critics, everyone from parents to the Secretary of Education—to get different perspectives. It was a really solid, well-researched deep dive, IMHO.

Dana Smith2 said:This whole experiment is headed for a total disaster.
I’ve been sitting here counting up the schools in my neighborhood—I think I hit about ten of them just now.
Out of those ten, not a single one actually meets the requirements for full-day programming. Which basically means we’d need to build at least ten more schools from scratch.
And that’s just looking at one single neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Even if they somehow managed to scrape together the funding for it, there simply aren't enough workers available to get all that construction done within a four-year window.

Plus, where are the building permits? And where are the workers? There is zero chance this gets off the ground before 2030.

rowdypanther12 said:It actually would be doable if they cut the weekly hours down from 33 to a maximum of 25—maybe even 20 if they factor in homework and lunch breaks.😁

I suppose that homework period would probably happen after 2:00 PM. A lot of private High Schools operate that way—classes run until 2:00, then from there until 4:00 or 4:30, you have homework help, tutoring, or extracurriculars. And honestly, that seems to work just fine.

Larry Walker24 said:Plus, where are the building permits? And where are the workers? There is zero chance this gets off the ground before 2030.

They just need to get some scaffolding properly set up.

We've got workers coming in from Nepal, India, the Philippines...

Dana Smith2 said:This whole experiment is headed for a total disaster.
I’ve been sitting here counting up the schools in my neighborhood—I think I hit about ten of them just now.
Out of those ten, not a single one actually meets the requirements for full-day programming. Which basically means we’d need to build at least ten more schools from scratch.
And that’s just looking at one single neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Even if they somehow managed to scrape together the funding for it, there simply aren't enough workers available to get all that construction done within a four-year window.

The real issue is that while local governments technically "own" the schools, the federal government is the one calling the shots on the curriculum.
It feels like we're trying to answer to the European Union about why our kids spend so few hours in the classroom—except we aren't actually meeting those standards, we just can't prove it because the federal government doesn't really care about preschool, leaving that entirely up to local municipalities.

Instead of moving toward a nine-year school model (and maybe trimming down summer break a bit), they're pushing this project to force kids to stay in school for nine hours a day. 🤦

Also, it's worth noting that high school graduation rates here are incredibly high even though it isn't strictly mandatory. Plus, our high school programs are some of the most comprehensive out there with a huge variety of subjects, but clearly, that still doesn't solve the problem regarding how many hours students are actually spending inside the school building.

We’re already getting hints from parents living outside our district, basically promising they'll enroll their kids here if we just select them. So now...

As for the question—what happens if the principal pushes back, but the school board (which includes representatives from the local government and parents) votes in favor? Well, the school board holds the authority over the administration, so that settles the matter once and for all.

I don't see why we feel the need to prove anything or justify our choices to anyone. If they’re so obsessed with PISA scores, I can just bake specific test prep directly into the curriculum—after all, even the Finchers go through specialized training for those exams. There’s no reason to cut classes; let the kids enjoy their summer while they still have the chance.

hiddenseal14 said:We’re already getting hints from parents living outside our district, basically promising they'll enroll their kids here if we just select them. So now...

As for the question—what happens if the principal pushes back, but the school board (which includes representatives from the local government and parents) votes in favor? Well, the school board holds the authority over the administration, so that settles the matter once and for all.

What school are we talking about here? Some place out on a remote island, I assume? It’s probably one of those spots where there isn't a single organized extracurricular to be found—no sports teams, no music lessons, no dance classes. Nothing.

jadetinker85 said:What school are we talking about here? Some place out on a remote island, I assume? It’s probably one of those spots where there isn't a single organized extracurricular to be found—no sports teams, no music lessons, no dance classes. Nothing.

It's an island campus. They deal with unique working conditions.

The problem is that you people are looking at this entirely through a metropolitan lens! For kids living in rural areas, a school isn't just a building—it's their sole gateway to education, their primary hub for culture, and their only real chance at social interaction. For them, this is absolutely vital. One of the fundamental goals of the Department of Education is to bridge the massive gap between urban academic standards and those found in our rural heartlands, and programs like this are essential to achieving that.

hiddenseal14 said:It's an island campus. They deal with unique working conditions.

The problem is that you people are looking at this entirely through a metropolitan lens! For kids living in rural areas, a school isn't just a building—it's their sole gateway to education, their primary hub for culture, and their only real chance at social interaction. For them, this is absolutely vital. One of the fundamental goals of the Department of Education is to bridge the massive gap between urban academic standards and those found in our rural heartlands, and programs like this are essential to achieving that.

That’s what I was thinking.

We really need to close that gap—and I mean narrow it down so much that even the kids living downtown have the exact same opportunities as those out in the suburbs. I mean, what’s the point of having music lessons or sports programs in the city if the kids in the outskirts are totally left behind? Everyone should be able to stay late for after-school activities until 5:00 PM! 👍It’s just a total fantasy right now.

Also, I had another question: what age group are you actually enrolling? From what I’ve been hearing through the grapevine, there's a massive amount of interest from parents in the metro area—mostly because of that free after-school program, which sounds amazing, honestly—but at the same time, the parents whose kids are already in the pilot programs are actually looking into transferring them to schools that aren't part of the experiment at all.

Sarah Hall53 said:We really need to close that gap—and I mean narrow it down so much that even the kids living downtown have the exact same opportunities as those out in the suburbs. I mean, what’s the point of having music lessons or sports programs in the city if the kids in the outskirts are totally left behind? Everyone should be able to stay late for after-school activities until 5:00 PM! 👍It’s just a total fantasy right now.

Also, I had another question: what age group are you actually enrolling? From what I’ve been hearing through the grapevine, there's a massive amount of interest from parents in the metro area—mostly because of that free after-school program, which sounds amazing, honestly—but at the same time, the parents whose kids are already in the pilot programs are actually looking into transferring them to schools that aren't part of the experiment at all.

Exactly. And it isn't just about sports or music; there's this growing trend of private tutoring for math, robotics, and coding. Parents are more than willing to pay for it because they know the public school system isn't offering those programs, and honestly, it probably never will—certainly not at that high of a quality.
It's frustrating.

Sarah Hall53 said:We really need to close that gap—and I mean narrow it down so much that even the kids living downtown have the exact same opportunities as those out in the suburbs. I mean, what’s the point of having music lessons or sports programs in the city if the kids in the outskirts are totally left behind? Everyone should be able to stay late for after-school activities until 5:00 PM! 👍It’s just a total fantasy right now.

Also, I had another question: what age group are you actually enrolling? From what I’ve been hearing through the grapevine, there's a massive amount of interest from parents in the metro area—mostly because of that free after-school program, which sounds amazing, honestly—but at the same time, the parents whose kids are already in the pilot programs are actually looking into transferring them to schools that aren't part of the experiment at all.

And then you have news outlets like CNN spinning stories claiming this is only meant for certain neighborhoods.
I don't think kids will drop out of school en masse—after all, social circles matter a lot at that age—but these specialized curriculum choices are definitely going to create a divide.

Susan James said:Exactly. And it isn't just about sports or music; there's this growing trend of private tutoring for math, robotics, and coding. Parents are more than willing to pay for it because they know the public school system isn't offering those programs, and honestly, it probably never will—certainly not at that high of a quality.
It's frustrating.

And then you have news outlets like CNN spinning stories claiming this is only meant for certain neighborhoods.
I don't think kids will drop out of school en masse—after all, social circles matter a lot at that age—but these specialized curriculum choices are definitely going to create a divide.

It’s pretty much the same situation we deal with. My son goes to a chess club, and he was paying $50 a month for just three sessions.
Since there's a private club available, I wanted to sign him up there because he actually loves playing, even if he doesn't have many friends to play with.
The school version—just 45 minutes a week—was costing us $100 per month.

Then there's this one teacher who technically has chess on her schedule, but she doesn't actually follow through with it, though that’s a whole different issue altogether...

mellowskipper said:I suppose that homework period would probably happen after 2:00 PM. A lot of private High Schools operate that way—classes run until 2:00, then from there until 4:00 or 4:30, you have homework help, tutoring, or extracurriculars. And honestly, that seems to work just fine.

They just need to get some scaffolding properly set up.

We've got workers coming in from Nepal, India, the Philippines...

But that’s the point—the Secretary of Education insists the mandatory portion ends at 2:00.
Homework counts as part of those mandatory hours, which just isn't physically or mathematically possible to squeeze in before 2:00.
Even if you just factored in lunch and longer breaks, you couldn't make it work by 2:00, especially since kids already have school lasting until 2:00 three days a week.😁

rowdypanther12 said:Does anyone remember the name of that journalist over at NBC who covers education? I can't seem to Google it—my brain is just totally fried today. I want to see if she's ever done an interview or a segment on this topic; from what I recall, she’s actually pretty sharp and really knows her stuff.

northerntiger9 said:Ready for summer, Suncica Findak?

Here she is on CNN
🤣
You nailed it!
She was saying at the end how much fifty percent of the job is just quality communication...
But honestly, it feels like there isn't any communication happening here at all, let alone "quality" communication.🤔

Honestly, I kind of feel like she’s actually reading our posts. She asked if Fuchs would ever send his grandkids to a private prep school, and he basically said his daughters-in-law are already checking out local schools, though they aren't exactly rushing to sign anyone up just yet...🍿

Sorry, I wasn't there with you 😂
Did she happen to ask how much longer this class will be part of the school schedule? 😳