WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Tuesday embraced a new approach to education that would reward good teachers, remove limits on charter schools and lengthen both the school day and the school year.

What is your opinion on the longer days, and school year?

My opinion is: "There goes the vacation time"!

Another campaign promise kept!

I say let children be children. They need their summer time. They'll have to work their azzes off the rest of their lives.
Improve the QUALITY of the schools and our children should be able to at least meet the standards that other countries exceed.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Tuesday embraced a new approach to public education that adds up to merit pay for the better teachers and longer days and school years for students.

These proposals, which constitute the new president's vision of an education system that meets 21st century challenges, were sure to generate loud criticism, particularly from teachers' union.

Educators oppose charter schools because they divert tax dollars away from traditional public schools. Merit-based systems for teachers have been anathema to teachers' unions, a powerful force in Obama's Democratic Party.

Obama acknowledged this in his talk to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom," he said, delivering the first major education speech of his presidency. "Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its importance."

But he argued that a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's education system is an economic imperative that can't wait, despite the urgency of the financial crisis and other pressing issues.

"Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us," Obama said. "The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children. We cannot afford to let it continue. What is at stake is nothing less than the American dream."

The ideas the president promoted were nearly all elements of his campaign platform last year. He only barely mentioned the reauthorization of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind Act, which introduced sweeping reforms that schools are struggling to meet without the funding to match. Obama said his administration would "later this year" ensure that schools get the funding they need and that the money is conditioned on results.

Among the principles Obama laid out were:

_Challenging states to adopt world-class standards rather than a specific standard. Obama's economic stimulus plan includes a $5 billion incentive fund to reward states for, among other things, boosting the quality of standards and state tests, and the president said the Education Department would create a fund to invest in innovation.

_Improved pre-kindergarten programs, including $5 billion in the stimulus plan to grow Head Start, expand child care access and do more for children with special needs. He also said he would offer 55,000 first-time parents regular visits from trained nurses and said that states that develop cutting-edge plans to raise the quality of early learning programs would get an Early Learning Challenge Grant, if Congress approves the new program.

_Reducing student dropout rates. To students, Obama said: "Don't even think about dropping out of school." But he said that reducing the dropout rates also requires turning around the worst schools, something he asked lawmakers, parents and teachers to make "our collective responsibility as Americans."

_Repeating his call for everyone to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training, with the goal of highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020.

On charter schools, he said the caps instituted by some states on how many are allowed aren't "good for our children, our economy, or our country."

Obama also spoke at length about what he described his policy toward teachers, what he called an `unprecedented commitment to ensure that anyone entrusted with educating our children is doing the job as well as it can be done." In up to 150 more school districts, Obama said, teachers will get mentoring, more money for improved student achievement and new responsibilities.

Also, Obama said, "We need to make sure our students have the teacher they need to be successful. That means states and school districts taking steps to move bad teachers out of the classroom. Let me be clear: if a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue teaching."

The president acknowledged that a rethinking of the traditional American school day may not be welcome — "not in my family, and probably not in yours" — but is critical.

"The challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom," Obama said. "If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."

heard part of the speech.. seemed like just more boilerplate bs..

wants every young american to commit to at least one year of higher education.. what's one year of college get you?? nothing except a pat on the back, a kick in the butt and a few thousand dollars in debt..

said he wants to make it so that you don't need a phd to fill out a fafsa?? I filled out a fafsa when I applied for student aid.. yeah it took a long time to fill out and the process seemed endless.. but guess what?? SO IS COLLEGE!!! if you can't sit down and successfully fill out the FREE application for federal student aid, chances are pretty good that you won't be doing well in college..

said he wanted to expand government education to pre pre-k.. I just see that as a way for government bureaucrats to get their hands on and indoctrinate the socialist ideology into the nation's youth as early in life as possible. I can't get on board with that.. public schools are largely government mandated indoctrination camps these days it seems.. I can't get behind the idea of government getting its hands on 3 and 4 year olds for the sake of "educating" them..

I personally dont think the root of the problem with schools is the teachers or the time the kids are in school. I think the problem stems from the families or lack there of with some of the kids that go and cause trouble in school. How are teachers supposed to teach when they spend most of their time dealing with kids that are unruly and dont want to be there? Fix the family situation and the schooling will fall in place.

My child started pre-school at 3 yrs. old. It was only 3 mornings a week.

It was a good thing. It promotes socialization skills.

It's not about the government "getting their hands on them".

I don't see this as a good thing! Actually, it's more like the Education System would/is being used as a "baby sitter" for the parents!

What part of the principles that he has for the program, make you feel that way?

Oboma is just doing what the Kennedys tell him to do, he is nothing but a Kennedy puppet! We have heard all this before, don't you remember that the man that promised this crap the first time took a bullet in a convertable? Come on, I can't be the only one who sees this?! Can I?

My biggest issue is the length of time(days, year)! The longer the kids ARE in school, the less time the parents has with their child. JMO

looks like Obama is gonna lose the support of the Teachers Unions. The Teachers Unions treat the children like they were their own personal entitlement program and will fight tooth and nail any changes Obama wants to make

Well, I can only give you my perspective. From 1st grade to 5th grade, my son went to a year-round school. Many parents were resistant when the school switched, but were very quickly won over. Teachers, staff, parents, kids, all were quite happy with it and it was incredibly successful. Test scores improved about 20% and the schools in our district with year round schedules have turned into some of the best in the state. Kids are retaining more of the learning, which they lose during the summer months, which means that the teachers have to review less and can more quickly move into new areas. Parents liked it, especially working parents. Yes, it was quite convenient not having to scrounge for daycare for 2 1/2 months out of the year. The kids could've cared less one way or the other, most of them are bored pretty quickly in the summer anyway. The only reason that the school schedule is the way it is, is tradition. Our economy at the time the school system was set up was mostly farming/rural. The schedule was built around when the kids would be needed least at home, in order to maximize the kids who would be able to attend. As our country progressed, the education system didn't. It is now not necessary for that schedule to be in place. Other countries, especially those who are far more educated than we can ever hope to be, having been using a year-round system for a long time. If we ever hope to get our kids up to par, then we need to completely re-think our educational system. This is simply part of it.

In other words, I'm all for it.

Ah, another person that can actually see the public school system for what it is, now I don't feel so alone! And of course oboma shoots down charter schools, they teach kids how to think, not what to think. Public schools are nothing but a brainwashing camp for children. Even my son seen this with his own eyes at age 7! I didn't even share my views with him and a 7 year old picked it up, yes he's gifted in the intelligence department but still...

I understand what you are saying. I can't find where it talks about that though. I've only seen the article that I posted on your thread and it's not on there.

I have a child in a private elementary school. School gets out at 3:15. Many children are in the after-school program. Parents pay for them to be babysat while they do their homework and wait for the parents to get off work. Most parents don't get off work at 3:15.

Some of the children are there early - before school starts and are there, also, after school. I feel like that's a long day at school for a child. But..what can working parents do?

I guess what I'm saying here is that many kids are already at the school waiting for their parents.

We have 2 or 3 charter schools in my city. They are not good schools here.

Maybe this link will explain my issue a little better inside the first paragraph. ie: longer days/year

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29612995/

Well 35papasmurf73, you're right on the money,(literally).
Why some people here are commenting that this is another promise kept stupifies me, this is only a proposal that has not yet been enacted,(and most likely won't).

I am amazed by people that fawn over our new president as if he is actually "For the People" and not for the money!
Big money has dictated the course of this country for decades now and if anyone thinks that puppet-Bama is going to start relieving the special interest groups of their privileges, they should seek therapy.
Please do not misconstrue this statement as racist, but the only thing that has changed in "Washington", is the color of the president, nothing else.

Oops... I now see this sentence in my article too: "and longer days and school years for students." I was concentrating on his quotes and not the editorial part.

Like I said...the private schools have the after-school programs already. Their grades are ahead of the public school i.e. the 4th grade is doing 6th grade work.

My child's school also has a longer year. They go back to school on Aug. 10. The charter school by my house has longer days. They get out at 4:15. They also get out of school in the middle of June and go back the first week of August. I really don't see the problem with the regular public schools doing the same.