In an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" show on Monday morning, President Barack Obama said that he was in favor of lengthening the school year for American students in grammar school and high school.
Right now, American students attend school for an average of 180 days out of the year, compared to an average of 196 for nations such as Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, which have moved ahead of the United States in student performance.
Formerly a leader in educating youth, the U.S. has fallen below 20th in certain world rankings and is especially deficient in the areas of math and science. Obama predicts that the only way to remedy the problem is more time in the classroom for young students.
The editorial board endorses extending the school year, but we also think that many other things need to be done about the education system in order for that to be entirely successful.
Firstly, teachers need to be held to higher standards. Those teachers who are not truly qualified (or who do not have a true motivation to help students) need to be removed from the system. In order to do that, tenure rules and procedures may have to be modified so that teachers cannot simply do the bare minimum once they are tenured.
Once we have an improved system in place, though, teachers who are truly dedicated need to be paid better. Young people who have a calling to teach often do not follow through because it is hard to support a family with a beginning teacher's salary, especially in urban areas, where living rates are higher and good teachers are most needed.
Teachers' unions need to cooperate with lawmakers and school districts in making any changes to the system, especially when it comes to the controversial topic of extending the school year. Though summer vacations are very convenient, the unions must remember that the changes are there for the benefit of the students, just like teachers are.
After all, if summer vacation is the sole reason that certain people choose to teach, changes should be made to ensure that those types of teachers aren't being hired any longer.
Research shows that students who are guided by their parents to read and keep up with other educational activity during the summer do better in their future studies. Extending the school year would close the gap during which many students without that opportunity forget what they have learned.
The impact that teachers make on the lives of young people cannot be underestimated. We all remember a teacher from high school that was especially inspirational or who really helped students understand topics, making them fun to learn.
Unfortunately, we all also remember the teacher that everybody hated to get, who could care less about students' performance and was only waiting for his or her retirement benefits. The changes that the president is proposing will hopefully eliminate those teachers. With better teachers and an extended school year, American students can get back into competition with their peers from other leading nations.
