They lose 6 hours from having one less day, and add 1 hour each day to the other days (+4 hours). That is a net loss of 2 hours, but of those 2 hours, 1 hour or so would have gone to lunch, then you have breaks between classes, recess/study periods, etc. I think there actually ends up being no net loss in class time.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that the average number of hours in a public school schoolday is 6-8 hours. The average for homeschooled kids is 2-3 hours. Homeschooled kids *obliterate* public school educated kids, while only spending about 1/3rd as much time at it.

Public school in our country is worthless. There is no accountability for schools, teachers, or administrators. The administrators use their jobs more as political spring boards than as a sacred trust to educate our youth.

The teachers unions and the NEA have an absolute stranglehold on the whole education system. Any efforts to provide accountability for teachers is immediately shot down. Even getting standards in place is almost impossible.

In schools of ALL types (public and private) there is a ridiculous amount of homework being given. Across the country, there are epidemics of elementary and middle school children with BACK PROBLEMS from carrying backpacks overly laden with heavy books. This is nuts. Schools are trying to artificially prove what a good job they are doing by piling on the homework. This is a disgusting fraud.

There are parents on Threshold that have told stories of 50 page term paper assignments in elementary school!!!!!! That is crazy.

I think one of the best solutions at this point is school vouchers. This is another issue where the left disengenuously paints this as a class warfare issue (the rich are just trying to get more money!). The reality is, vouchers are irrelevant to "the rich." They already can afford to send their kids to private school. Vouchers help lower and middle income families become able to afford some choice in their children's education.

Vouchers would also provide accountability since parents could actually vote with their feet and their tax dollars as to which schools are getting the job done.

Ironically, it was the issue of school vouchers that made the well known, and once liberal comedian Dennis Miller change political parties.

I derailed a bit there, but any educational reform issue seems to bring up the voucher issue.


Back on topic, I think this whole thing sounds like a great idea.

There is enormous monetary savings (especially since it is one less day of transportation via high gas costs). It gives teachers and faculty more time to plan their course work, provide tutoring to children who are falling behind, etc.

It really seems like a win-win situation for everyone involved.