CNN

I am sick and tired of teachers belly aching about how little they earn.

Let's look at the facts.

The average salary for an experienced teacher in CA ranges from an unbelievable $74,780 to $89,821 if you're lucky enough to work in Orange County.

Teachers in CA work approximately 180 days per year. They are required to be in school only 6 hours per day which works out to a total of 1,080 per year.

So the top teachers are earning $83.00 PER HOUR!!!

An entry level teacher with no experience earns $32.00 per hour.

Keep in mind that the average American works
between 340 and 351 days per year.

Teachers work part time (only 180 days per year) and earn between $35.00 and $83.00 per hour. Oh yeah. And they can't be fired if they're incompetent.
We spend more on teachers than any other country in the world and our students rank an embarrassing 29th in science and math worldwide.

It's time for teachers to start working full time like the rest of America!

Ever hear of special interest groups? You know... Like the teachers union for example.
They're going to make sure that teachers continue to work PART TIME for Full Time Pay.

The first big step is to get rid of teacher tenure.

Tenure guarentees a teacher cannot be fired regardless of how incompetent they are.

Watch how many teachers respond to this comment. They get very angry when people question the fact that they get paid full time salaries for part time work. To top it off... Bad teachers with tenure cannot be fired.

GT- Teachers are far from overpaid. The "vacations" are unpaid. Think of them more as temporarily laid off. To make ends meet teachers have to take up second sometimes third jobs during the summer and school year.

The JAPANESE do have a high suicide rate-in Japan. School is stressful there, only the brightest are chosen to continue their education. Which brings me to the next point...

Why are we comparing ourselves to these countries so blindly. Many of these countries only educate the brightest. The unfortunate children who aren't the brightest stay home or work. Who do you think makes your childrens' toys and sneakers? In the US we accept all students who register to our public schools. Our standards scores incorporate a percentage of students who go to resource/spec. ed, or have learning disabilities.

We are beating ourselves and our children up over false numbers. The children today are put under enormous pressure to do well on tests because of biased information.

I think a longer year is a great idea, but it is far from the answer, in and of itself.

Given the problems of underfunding and lack of essential parenting, doing what we're doing for 365 days a year isn't going to make our children successful.

I'm a teacher who is content with my paycheck, but would love to have the materials(books, technology, etc.) that I need, not having to teach "to the test", and more parents who do their part.

As a teacher, I have no problem lengthening the school year as long as the additional time is spent teaching children reading, math, science and social studies instead of extending the already inappropriate time we are forced by administrators to prepare children for the standardized tests mandated by No Child Left Behind. If parents only understood how little time teachers are allowed to truly teach these days. If we do not follow orders to prep and prep and prep for tests, our jobs are threatened, yet no progress is made because we're not giving the proper time to teach to mastery.

Breaking up the summer vacation into two smaller breaks would also maximize retention. Kids forget so much over a 12-week break.

no for longer school years.
kids will just drop out.
noone wants longer school years.
you'll just be hated by all kids in america.

Has he looked at the curriculum that is in place in school these days? I am a teacher and see first hand what is causing our children to fall behind. Having too short of a school year isn't it. Any one who has a degree in education knows that there are developmental stages that children go through. The problem is that children are required to learn things before their minds are ready. Kids in kindergarten are learning things that use to be presented in first grade. The truth is that kids need their summers to rest after what they are put through during the year. Teachers need it to recharge and to prevent burnout. If common sense doesn't return to education soon, we will have fewer and fewer children actually finishing high school.

deja vu! When Harry S Truman ran for president against Thomas Dewey, all school children were panicked thatif Dewey was elected, it would mean a 12-month school year.

Growing up in Chicago, we would get out of school the last week in June and return the Tuesday after Labor Day -2 months off! During those two months we swam, played outdoors, used our imagination, etc. Now kids are off for almost three months and they spend much of their time indoors on the computer or watching TV.

In conclusion, let's shorten the summer vacation to one month as kids are not enjoying the summer outdoors- tv and computers can be used all year. Also, now many more moms are working than in the 40s and 50s, so children will be better supervised.

Heavens, I never thought I'd be one of those "When I was a kid" people!!!

Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you've already said that!

Well, then why is it not in moderation????

@Cali girl,

Learn to read/comprehend, Roberta said "Japanese", she did not mention either indian or chinese students, and check the official statistics. I did not check the chinese or indian, but I did check the japanese, and yes I was there as well and it was all over the local news, the suicide rate for japanese students is higher than America's.

The American Worker February 27th, 2009 6:48 pm ET

Year around school is the answer. Kids can graduate from high school and college sooner and parents wont have to worry about whos watching them during the summer and having the difficult task of getting them ready to go back in the fall.
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I think you may have missed the true point. It has nothing to do with graduating early, but more time spent learning what is needed to keep American competitive.

How about corporal punishment for those kids who supposedly have ADD. Believe me, I know, two hard slaps from a teacher really focuses you on the subject. Stop this "adoration" of kids as though a little spank will scar them for life.

This world can be a cruel mean place that can do a lot more to you than just give you a slap in the face.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SPANK YOUR KIDS, EVEN USE THE BELT SOMETIMES (it worked on me, for the most part).

How about corporal punishment for those kids who supposedly have ADD. Believe me, I know, two hard slaps from a teacher really focuses you on the subject. Stop this "adoration" of kids as though a little spank will scar them for life.

This world can be a cruel mean place that can do a lot more to you than just give you a slap in the face.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SPANK YOUR KIDS, EVEN USE THE BELT SOMETIMES (it worked on me, for the most part).
).

Carol, you are probably one of the mothers that want your kids to stay in school longer because you don't like spending time with them. I think kids should be allowed to have summers off and be allowed to be children.

Rob February 27th, 2009 5:34 pm ET

There we go. And then we can get the children into the government sponsored education camps where they can be raised to be good little subservient drones, praising the Leader.

Hail Obama! Hail Obama!

Question, will goose-stepping be a 2 part course? Will the brain-washing begin in kindergarten?

Oh, and Sniffit, you're an idiot. You are truly about as bright as a small appliance bulb.
__________________________________________________

And there you go again, just another Obama hater that hates education also.

If the spelling and grammar in these posts aren't a condemnation of where our school system has led us, then I say we are doomed to fail in global competition. Better schools and more of it...fast!

Roberta February 27th, 2009 7:24 pm ET

NO! (she crys) It is too soon in a person's life before they have to work with little or no break throughout the year. Yes, I know the summer break was originally so kids could help out their families on the farm. But most people don't work on a farm now and if kids can't have fun who can? I hate being a responsible adult and am glad it didn't start any sooner than it had to. Because I didn't have to get a job, I thought summer jobs during my teens were fun. And then school was fun because it was a change. Sigh …. By the way, did you know that the teen suicide rate is higher in Japan than the US? I'm pretty sure it's because Japanese students have much more pressure regarding school put on them than our kids do.
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I was married to a man from India, I have Chinese friends. These cultures do not have a higher suicide rate than we do. It's just not true. Thinking like yours, is what exactly has set us back.

CNN

I had a very nice post that couldn't get past your censorship. I wonder what word I used, that you did not like.

school should be optional

I'm SURE extending school will solve the problem of school drop-out rates in urban areas!! (insert sarcasm)

This is nothing more than kick-back to unions who want to huge pay increases to their "members" – and so teachers don't have to look for p/t work during summers.

NO! (she crys) It is too soon in a person's life before they have to work with little or no break throughout the year. Yes, I know the summer break was originally so kids could help out their families on the farm. But most people don't work on a farm now and if kids can't have fun who can? I hate being a responsible adult and am glad it didn't start any sooner than it had to. Because I didn't have to get a job, I thought summer jobs during my teens were fun. And then school was fun because it was a change. Sigh .... By the way, did you know that the teen suicide rate is higher in Japan than the US? I'm pretty sure it's because Japanese students have much more pressure regarding school put on them than our kids do.

Eliminate school during January throughout the Snow Belt. Go in June and July when the weather does not endanger the health of children.

Many families would save money – less childcare expense.

Great idea, fill those idle minds. Pay our teachers more to educate and in return, I'm sure we'll build less prisons.

No argument here!

Year around school is the answer. Kids can graduate from high school and college sooner and parents wont have to worry about whos watching them during the summer and having the difficult task of getting them ready to go back in the fall.

I think this concept is long over due! I strongly support year-round school and what it will mean to our country! One of the reasons I voted for Obama is because I am tired of seeing America live in a 19th Century America – This is the 21st Century lets give our Children the advantage they need to compete globally!

dumbocrat alert – typical "dismantle everything I don't agree with" conservative.

You people would amputate someone's arm if it had a scratch.

I think "an american first" has a great idea about the 231 day school year!

ahh trust me, a longer school year will mean even more drop-outs. More school may help those who definitely want to learn but will cause even more drop outs! You're gonna have to find something better to address that issue. Your just subjecting typical kids to more of what they hate and that will give kids another reason to drop out.

and make the school day longer,

teachers more accountable,

teacher pay doubled,

cut administration / management down to 1/4,

fire all managers / administrators with MBA,

put real educators in supervisory roles,

raise taxes for public education!

Clearly something needs to be done with American education, as the President and his Secretary of Education clearly realize. This would be a good start, although not all that is needed. In support of the comment by ao, American 15 year olds in the most recent international science and maths tests finished respectively 29th and 35th in the two categories, behind Poland in both areas. What is more
relevant, Canadian students finished 4th and 7th in the same two tests, which means thay will have a tremendous advantage when fillin jobs requiring those skills. This is not because we spend more per capita on education than the U.S.A but probably because high school science teachers are required to take a 4 year science degree (typically involving at least 10 full courses in one or two areas of science, followed by education training instead of a 4 year BEd with
minimal science training. Inanother area, our health plan covers 100% of Canadians at about 2/3 of the cost per capita of the incomplete coverage on the U.S.A. For those right wing Americans who are are in an uproar about socialism and like to cite Canada as one of the evils of socialism, my reply is 1) Canada is not socialist by any normal definition of the term (our previous Liberal government had many years of consecutive surpluses) 2) if our education and health care are what you regard as socialism then maybe, socialism by your defintion is not so bad

i dOnt seE wHaT gOoD a LoNgEr SkooL yEar iS gOiNg tO dO.i tHinKed i HaVE lEaRnt aS mUch aS Ime GoIng to Do tHiS yEar.

just another way for teachers and their union to suck out more taxpayer dollars for their inferior work.

he's a chicago pol via austrailia.

where did obama meet him? in indonesia?

This is the stupidest idea ever...just a lazy approach to a complicated issue. Instead of paying teachers more to work year round, why not instead pay teachers more to work the same hours/days they do now (summers off), thereby attracting brighter people to the field. We have enough lazy, dumb teachers already. Furthermore, we should allow kids to skip grades instead of doing pointless honors programs. That would get us much farther than this idea.

It seems pretty sensible. Students in Europe and Asia go to school year round, and they routinely outperform American students. Good thing subhumans like Rob want to make it all about Obama. Tell me, nitwit, when's the last time a conservative had an idea that didn't involve cutting taxes or dismantling the social contract?

RE: the 231-day plan. Could we also incorporate another change by calling the 10 days in December "Winter Break"? Winter Break is as much for everybody as Summer Break and Spring Break are.

"...a Jindal spokeswoman has admitted to Politico that in reality, Jindal overheard Lee talking about the episode to someone else by phone "days later." The spokeswoman said she thought Lee, who died in 2007, was being interviewed about the incident at the time."

Sniff that.

My brother and his wife are both teachers. I'm sure they'll be pleased to get the pay raises that had better come with this extension of the school year. If you want people to work more, you obviously have to pay them more. Which means I'm sure taxpayers will love having their school taxes hiked 15-20% to pay for the operating cost increases of keeping the schools open, not to mention how much some of these schools will have to fork over for air conditioning all summer.

Having attended Pennsylvania schools, I know they're already hit badly in the winter because of how cold it gets, but when temperatures hit 100+ in June when we were still in school, it was nearly impossible to get anything done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but it's going to require lots more funding which will come out of our collective pockets and I hope people are prepared for that if they support this.

I'm not the liar....Booby Jingle is. Look it up. Google is the GOP's worst enemy.

ao, Hey "pollock", are you a citizen? If not mind your business!

@dustin
wasnt making kids "work" in the fields before taking away thier childhood tOO ? todays kids have a better childhood IN school than they do out of school !

thats a great idea , teachers have more vacations than any profession , the tax payers need to get there money worth from them and our childern need more education because we are falling behind the rest of the world

How about some discipline in the schools.
And yes discipline starts at home. Hold the parents accountable, something that most of them know nothing about.

does pelosi have high blood, she looks so red faced?

He must have some brats to get out of his hair. Keep summer vacations for the kids! Teach them right in the first place and they won't be behind other countries.

As a teacher, I really don't think the length of the school year is the problem. That's a cop-out. Teachers aren't trained well, they aren't paid well, they are minimally protected, the expectations of NCLB are ridiculous.

And honestly, schools are underfunded as they are. We're going to add MORE school days? Please. Give teachers the materials they need. Save the schools. Update curriculum. That will save our education system, not three or four more weeks of school per year.

Wouldn't it be a better idea to improve quality of teachers then do something in the time they are at school than to spend the whole year in school /we all need a break even our kids after all what is growing up for children than to have time to explore ,play and be a kid plus rest their brains.

hmm, my daughter was a teacher, but, the wrongs she saw in the public schools sent her back to college, she got her masters degree, and opened a private, non profit school, open year round and is doing very well, and the students this school gets and graduates are far above intelligence than the average high school graduates..I think schools should be much longer, with better curriculums, better teachers..my grans come here to see me in summer, after 2 weeks are "bored", and wishing they were back in school, even though I spend a good deal of time with them, taking them places etc..its the school they "miss"..as well as thier friends, the structured enviorment etc..we dont NEED kids to work the fields anymore in summer, BUT, we do need them to EXCELL so America can again become competitive....

Thank you Mr. Duncan. The format we have is based off the 19th century format that only had the 3 month vacation b/c it was the summer in which they had to be in the fields, not leisurely having Tom Sawyer summers. We have been long over do for a change in this format.

But I also would add that physical education needs to be added back. Intelligent + physically active kids = educated populace that does not stress out the health care system in the long run.

Already established year round schools have been effective in many parts of the country. There are more frequent but shorter breaks. Attendance tends to be better (among staff and students). It definitely should be looked into.

SV, Oklahoma, why don't you learn how to spell and post (like not using the screaming all caps) before you criticize teachers.

Rob, you clearly have done no research on the subject. There are many studies out there by both conservative and liberal think tanks that show that year round schools tend to be very effective. It's knee-jerk reactions like yours that have forced only band-aid cures like vouchers on education. We need to look at the long-term and discuss ideas from all sides.

He should be more concerned about dropouts than a longer year.

he can forget the young vote.

Oh, and rewarding teachers whose students do well. is going to magically change everything?

Most teachers. myself included, do the best we can with the kids who attend our schools. If their parents don't want to make them accountable when they fail to bring in their homework, or act like they own the joint when they come to school, we aren't going to succeed.

We need to legislate some parental responsibility along with student responsibility. A teacher can do just so much! The rest is up to the students. We can't take tests for them. We can't do their homework. Some responsibility has to be on the shoulders of the students AND their parents!

@ Rob: How do you live with yourself? Were you raised by rattlensakes? Our educational system is the laughing-stock of industrialized countries. Please, do a little research before you spew your venom. Negativity released like toxic fumes that have been building in an air-tight room.

And Sniffit - I actually look for your comments. They're great. I think I read in an earlier post you are a veteran. That makes you not only funny and smart, but honorable. Maybe Rob could learn something from you.

Winning teams always work harder and longer than losing teams and education is no different. If we plan to compete in the 21 century we got to be on top of our game because the rest of the world is on our hills.

I totally agree with Mr. Duncan...children have way too much free time and a longer school year is exactly what they need. The teachers also need to be paid a lot more.

douchebag.

Most parents favor a longer school year because they won't have to pay a sitter to watch their kids. We'll just provide day care.

What I want to know is, where will districts get the money to stay open longer, to pay teachers, and provide the things that used to be handled by PARENTS? Schools do need time to make repairs (summer) have remedial summer school (summer) and one quarter on with 3 weeks off, is not effective.

This is just something to keep up with the rest of the world. If we studied our curriculums like Asian schools do with just a few things to learn really well, instead of a whole list of things to learn as best we can, we might do better. Also, return the management of Education up to the states as the U.S. Constitution stated and keep the Federal Government out of it. They have enough on their plate!

As a high school student, I would not like a short summer, but I do agree that break can seem a little long.
You can't expect 6 year olds to be in school for 10/11 out of 12 months – that's clearly overworking them.
On the opposite end, (many) midde and high schoolers work hard, and need a break, longer than 5 days of summer, 'an american first'
However, I do agree that break gets a bit boring after a while, so a summer vacation of about 10 weeks sounds good.

I'm in total agreement with this plan. Our children have too much time on their hands during the summer. When school starts back the teachers spend the first few months reviewing where they left off the previous year.
They also do too much testing in the schools also. We need better teachers and more parent participation.

No question that American students are falling further behind those in other industrialized nations, but the length of the school year is a local decision. All the feds can do is point this out to the mostly regressive yahoos who sit on school boards.

Train teachers first! And pay them well-

Great idea..

Isn't it great that the President is working and making his people work.. not just sitting around..

I love this

There we go. And then we can get the children into the government sponsored education camps where they can be raised to be good little subservient drones, praising the Leader.

Hail Obama! Hail Obama!

Question, will goose-stepping be a 2 part course? Will the brain-washing begin in kindergarten?

Oh, and Sniffit, you're an idiot. You are truly about as bright as a small appliance bulb.

i moved to USA from Poland (not necessarily your economic superpower) and experienced both systems. And I TRULY agree – make school longer. In Poland I had only 2 month summer vacation (not 3 months like here) and it was WAY enough. This meant that by the time I was going to my junior and senior year in USA I had 10 months of school more – so an extra school year – and TRUST ME it made a HUGE difference (current University of Michigan student who came to USA with so, so English). I would add even more, instead of making schedules for students so flexible that they pretty much take what they want (and not what is good for them) I would think that mandating at least half the schedule with heavy English/Science/Math curriculum would be good. And stop blaming teachers, yes there are some who under perform, but most of them are dedicated individuals who want to give back – so please support them in doing so. And on last note – parents should really step up. I know how my family values education (even though I'm the first generation in the university), so stop being so obsessive about having your kid on the basketball team, and rather support their efforts to get into biology or physics club...

Last I checked less than 2% of the population was involved in agriculture. Time to update this part of our society to reflect that reality.

The school year is just right – kids will be burnt out otherwise. I think another problem is that as American workers, we don't receive more vacation time. In Europe, workers receive at least one month vacation, and in many cases 6-8 weeks... The typical 10 days of vacation here in the states is a joke. We should work to live, not live to work.

Sweet. More free babysitting.

EDUCATION IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE HEALTH OF OUR ECONOMY, FOR WITHOUT AN EDUCATED POPULACE WE WILL NO LONGER BE A WORLD POWER NOR LEADER.

Why don't we fix funding our public school systems, improve teacher quality and pay?

I live in a county in Kentucky that is the third largest public school district, second fastest growing county for a number of years, a large and growing tax base that generated over $60 million in taxes for 2007 yet the school district is the least funded in the state. I watch teachers leave to teach in Ohio because of better pay.

Great. It's about time teachers actually earned their pay.

Another good idea would be for the school day to start later, around 9am instead of at 7 or 7:30. Kids would start school about the same time as their parents start work, so there would be more time in the morning for families to spend together and children would be released from school closer to the time that their parents get out of work, so childcare costs would be less of a burden.

My sister is a teacher, and she would love this idea. Kids in France have a longer school year, same with kids in Africa and Asia. And when they take those very difficult international entrance exams, they score much higher than Americans.

Yes Yes Yes.

It's true...Jindal lied and his office admitted it. He was not there with the sheriff and he did not tell the feds to get out of the way etc. It was something the sheriff did when Jindal wasn't there and Jindal co-opted the story as his own. It' snot embellishment though...it's a flat out lie.

I wonder if this might increase the dropout rate tho...by increasing frustration and stress for the kids AND the teachers. Not that I care...if they don't like they need to suck it up, but the first step is to first provide a better learning environment if you're going to expect them to spend more time there. This is why the infrastructure improvements are so key.

You that oppose his suggestion should remember why there was a long "vacation" at the end of the school year in this country (and, probably in most of the western countries of the world): It wasn't because we wanted them to have a "fun summer", it was because the farmers with kids and the farm workers with kids were depended upon to help with the summer harvest.

I think the longer school year is a great idea.
It's a shame that we are the richest country in the world and have the worst education.
Let's build new schools and update others also get rid of bad teachers.
I think our kids should be learning another language from kindergarten on. We should not have drop out rate that we have.
PARENTS have to get involved and not just send kids to school.

well if it means less homework by all means. But longer school year = possibly more suicides. Especially those under 15 need the summer break. Let children be children.

Readin ritin and rithmutic. Back to basics. In my day we had to do our own figurin. We come out fine. You betcha!

Bless you SV, OKLAHOMA. We know what you were trying to say. Perhaps there are longer days of school for you too down there.

How about dumping a union that protects poor teachers and does nothing to reward hard-working teachers? We will only see gains in education if the year is lengthened, teacher salaries are doubled, and poor teachers who do not seize opportunities to improve can be easily fired. Teacher's unions are destroying education.

Having lived overseas and seen the education systems that all are so wanting to be like, I say if you do not like our education system, then move.

Sniffit: You have been sniffing too much..........................

Rick: religion, religion, religion?

How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?

It will never happan. The teachers union will never stand for it. Long summer breaks is not for the kids it is for the lazy teachers that we have in this country.

This is all well and good, but with the economy the way it is right now, my area is taking away school days in order to not have to lay off teachers. Fix the economy first, pay our teachers better, have stricter guidelines for teachers (one of the easiest degrees to obtain) and then lengthen the school year.

As someone who has been involved in education for over 35 years as a teacher, supervisor, curriculum specialist, etc. all I can say is AMEN. This is a man with a plan....and I like it!

You have to be kidding. We get almost no time with our kids now, and when we're with them, most of our time is spent doing school homework. Perhaps the problem is not too little time spent in school, but the quality of education received while in school. I seem to remember spending an awful lot of time in school doing lots of things besides learning. Thinking outside the box does not mean making the box bigger. Home schooling, smaller schools, and individualized education are all methods to make education more effective without making us all pay a bigger price.

At last........ Someone who understands that our Children have way to much free time. I totally agree with Duncan.

Thank you Mr Duncan!!!!!!!!!!!

I grew up in Africa and we went to school two months longer every year. By the time I graduated, we has effectively gone to school that's 24 months more than kids here. That's two years, people. Let's tell the truth, kids are getting lazier and lazier...

An excellent idea – and should go hand in hand with year-round school... meaning that these institutions are never empty or unused. It's way past time that America wake up to how the rest of the world handles "vacation" - they take one month off a year.

We are no longer an agrarian society - and kids no longer need to get out of school to help bring in the crops or take the animals to market.

And honestly, "childhood" has nothing to do with having 3 months of time to hang at the mall.

Kids today would have a better "childhood" if parents would simply wake up and participate in their lives in a positive way.

the problem with the school system is it now contains too many liberals; those that want to dumb down the smart kids, so that there's no kids left behind...what do we end up with? A nation of dumb-to-mediocre kids...because we had to be "fair." So, none of you smart kids out there dare to be overachievers, don't be too intelligent or make too high of grades...because our government will punish you for it, especially if you're white. The summer or length of the summer has absolutely nothing to do with it.......it all starts at home...get a frickin' clue.

I was always so excited for the end of school, but after a month I was bored to tears and couldn't wait to go back. Plus these days so many households have two working parents and the kids are farmed out to day care or summer camp anyway. Better be in school more than being warehoused in front of video games.

Thank you Rick, for being the poster child of our education level in this country.

Go to vocational school much?

To Rick who said "If you'd eliminate the liberal indoctrination and get back to teaching the three "R's" we wouldn't have to lengthen the school year."

Sorry.. but I would much prefer to have the liberal well rounded education than to be taught just the basic subjects. That's the problem with education as it is.. not just that kids can't read and write and do arithmetic, it's that we've fallen behind in this country in areas like science.

You can have your kids taught the basics so that your kids are limited. I'll have my kids taught the most well rounded education possible so your kids can serve my kids their french fries.

President Obama just set the timetable for Iraqi withdrawal, and it’s significantly longer than the one he was promising on the campaign trail. Nonetheless, the President stated that by August 31, 2010, U.S. forces will withdraw from their combat role in Iraq.

Now my first reaction to this was negative – why set a timetable when you’re in the middle of a war? Why give the other side that kind of information?

But, it’s his post-withdrawal plan that makes the whole thing work. Obama will be keeping 50,000 troops on the ground in Iraq to train the Iraqi military, protect civilians and conduct anti-terror missions. In fact, this post-withdrawal plan even earned Obama the support of his old rival, John McCain.

For more check out : http://www.TalkObama.info

If we are to remain a super power we need to keep up with the rest of the world and this will prepare our kids for life . I think this is a great
idea the world is changing and our kids will have to keep up.

I love this idea. I have been trying to get some consunsus on 231 days of school year for a long time now. Think about it:

365 days/year
- 52 Saturdays
- 52 Sundays
- 10 days for Christmas & New Year
- 5 days for Thanksgiving
- 5 days for Spring Break
- 5 days for Summer Break
- Memorial Day
- Labor Day
- July 4th
- MLK Day
- President's Day.
==== 231 days of school year.
Our current school year is around 180 to 190 days a year. That is simply not enough.

Longer school days are not what my nephews need. They need quality education that focuses on their struggles and help them to LEARN.

Einstein believed Americans spent too many hours in school. Was he dumb? Home school is the best option people.

No way! children need to be children . They already have so much to do, it seems that we are pushing them to become robots... I am against it!

It certainly will cut down on family vacations in the summer which may hurt the economy. But I like the idea. Chinese students in China go to school I think 7 days a week. We need to up the anty.

LONGE SCHOOL YEAR! HOW ABOUT GOOD TEACHERS

"Education chief favors longer school year"

So do most of us parents......

I am all for it. Make it all year round. That would not only make the kids smarter, but help he parents keep expenses down over the summer months.
Where can I sign my 6 foot tall 16 year he's always hungry
up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At last someone who understands the issues.... There is no need to have months of vacation... Reduce the break and limit to a maximum of 8 weeks. Kids should be in school in most part of their younger ages and they should be studying while they are at school. First step towards improving the standards of future generation.

Hope to see more of such fundamental changes....

This is done in other countries and it works very well. We really have to do better in educating our children.

This will cost money and create smarter people who are not so easily led around by the GOP's manipulative misinformation campaigns. They will oppose this with everything they've got.

While I am not going to say that a longer school year is a bad idea, here in Oregon becuase of budget shortfalls they are talking about shortening the current school year. If the money is there then it might be a good idea, but funding at this point in time will be hard to come by.

Whoa, Big Brother is getting scary...

I agree with this. I know in Korea kids go to school 5.5 days a week and they are kicking our butts in math and the sciences. In addition, during the three month "vacations", kids tend to forget what they have learned, get bored and get into trouble! On the other hand, 11 months of bad education, crappy facilities, and bad teachers is worst than the current 9 months of the same!

History? Bona-parte. Obama-Parte. Barack? Napoleon.
I will rule the World, one day.

Give me a break. Our kids need a break. If parents did their jobs and watched kids there summer breaks are a great thing of kids and parents alike. Parents get to see their kids more and kids get to have a summer of fun. We need to get away from the nanny state.

To all the newbie political know it alls:

You people are a disgrace. Let me explain something to you. THERE ARE NO SIDES. There are opinions, and thoughts of how to handle situations. You do not "pick a side" and stick with it. You pick a solution to a problem, regardless of what side it is on. You do what you think is best. A dem disagreeing with Obama doesn't make him a turncoat. Do any of you even have a clue what each party believes? I doubt it. In addition, a party is not a person. A person may align more with one party over another but, they are supposed to do what is best for his or her constituents (in his or her opinion). Republicans aren't anti people, pro corporation, racists blah blah blah. A Conservative generally (generally) believes in strong state government, weak federal government. Dems, the reverse. Our country is going to pot because you all are stupid uneducated whining little brats. That is why.

If you'd eliminate the liberal indoctrination and get back to teaching the three "R's" we wouldn't have to lengthen the school year.

American businesses and individuals need to save more money

which means they need to earn more money ....

which means we need to build more things and export them to draw the rest of the world's wealth to us .....

which means our businesses need to be cost & value competitive ...

which means our people must be smart enough to develop cutting edge products worthy of their price and we must do this better than anyone else.

which means our level of academic skill & achievement must be the highest in the world.

just make sure we walk the line of preparing them for a future and not taking away their childhood.

Jindal lied about his Katrina story...it never happened.

Is this better for the students or the parents? Most kids need time to regenerate and a longer school year will serve no ones interests but parents who dont want to be bothered worrying about child care during the normal summer vacation. This has nothing to do with boosting academic achievements.

I don't know if we need a longer school year, but my mom has been a teacher for over 25 years and would like to see us switch to year-round schooling. Something like 10 weeks on, 4 weeks off. That way, the kids' brains don't totally shut down for 3 month stretches, and they don't get so burned out in the marathon from January through June.

That's a GREAT idea... we just increased the cost of education exponentially without effecting the QUALITY of education. Teachers' salaries are predicated on 9 months of teaching.

Is this another pay-back to the union??

And nooooo – let's NOT consider vouchers which give parents the financial power to send their kids to private schools .... you know... those SAME schools Obama sends his little girls.

Duncan, you sound like a very smart man. Four weeks is a good summer vacation for our children. Knowledge is the key, longer school year is one of the best ideas.

A longer year of school could be fine but not longer days.
I think if it's a longer day and a child dosent want to be there for 8 let alone 9+ hours it's not going to do any good. If not create more drop outs every year.

A better educational system, not more time in the same old same old, will put our youth in a better competitive position.

Frankly, so do I.

The state of American education is just disturbing.

Good for Secretary Duncan. How can we expect to produce young men and women ready for the 21st century when we are educating them in a system designed to produce farmers for the 19th century. Somehow we have to get over the love affair with our antiquated school system that is made even worse by the horrible fiscal management produced, on average, by local school boards. At the very least we need one set of national standards and to start holding school systems accountable to use their money in an effective and efficient manner.

I totally agree. Our children of America are flat out fat and lazy. They sit in front of TV set playing video games and gulping down a super sized 7/11 slurpy. Like kids in Japan they should go to school all year around. Maybe that way they won't be so lethargic.

Sounds good to me – too many of the older children who don't work during the summer tend to get into trouble. Mandatory – go to school extra weeks or work for some sort of credit. Period.

Yes, Mr Duncan, that is exactly what our children need. More time in our govt run schools.

When are people going to realize that our children need parents – not more teachers.

This is just amazing to me. We home school six children and I would never think of sending one of them into the mess that we call public schools.

I couldn't agree more. Children in this country spend way too much time in front of the T.V. and texting, getting fat and lazy.

If we can get parents to help their kids understand and learn along with the teachers getting more pay and support (extra training, better buildings etc,) then I think we should do it. I would hope that corporate America would join in the idea of sponsoring schools and start tutoring programs. Things of that nature need to be done and aren't for some reason.

At least keep the low income students in school longer – keep them out of their gangs and trouble.

Actually, the quality of education is directly related to the funding of the Education Department. The more the Federal government intervenes, the lower the test scores get. Take a look at the slide our test scores have taken since the Carter administration created it and compare the declining scores to the increasing funds being poured into the Education Department. If Duncan really cared about increasing our test scores, he should dissolve the Education Department and resign. Problem solved.

Rather than talking about a longer school year for kids, we should be talking about all the kids that won't make it that far due to the fact they were aborted before they saw the light of day.
The most recent take on this is Obama wants to rescind job protection for Doctors and Nurses who refuse to perform abortions for moral reasons. People will be judged on job availability because of "morals". I always thought that morals were good to have and I always thought that killing babies was immoral.
Where will it end? Is this what Americans really want?

Well, this would cut down on day care costs. However, an extra month or two in a school dominated by the teachers' union and feds isn't going to make them any smarter or more competitive. Just take a look at some of the comments in the Ticker by those who claim to be teachers! Texas Teacher should be the poster child for our failed government school system.

Oh goodie! Let's fix this.

Teachers don't get paid, or supported, as it is. States are stripping every possible resource (aides, music, references, etc) daily to make their budgets work – and I heard about a district today lowering EVERY PERSON in educations' pay 4%.

Obama said in his speech accepting the nomination that it would be "out with the old, tired, lazy teachers" and in with a new breed of highly technical ones. Um, if you aren't paying them now – to get summers off – what makes you think that you'll find anyone willing to work more for less pay! I'm sorry, but educating kids is NOT that rewarding!

Oh, yeah, as my point of reference, I left teaching a few years ago just so that I could find a job to support my family...

Good, let them go for 12 months. It won’t hurt them and maybe they will stay out of trouble.

I absolutely agree...problem is...states are acutally cutting the school year as they can afford to pay for what they have now...where's the solution to that?