Vignesh Ram

cross-posted to http://www.feltonnewell.com

Just last week, the question of four-day school weeks entered the conversation in Los Angeles, as LAUSD Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines has begun studying various proposals to make-up part of the expected budget shortfall of at least $500 million for the 2010-11 academic year. If implemented, the district would use a combination of furlough days and shortening the school year to close the gap, as furlough days alone will not be sufficient.

We should be appalled. These proposals fly in the face of what America stands for. They would impede those with learning disabilities, who may not be able to retain information following a three day weekend. And they would disproportionately impact lower income families who may not be able to afford child care. According to Jörn-Steffen Pischke, of the London School of Economics, shorter school years invariably lead to increased grade repetition in primary school. Our inner city neighborhoods already foster environments where children are forced to the streets. How is this a viable solution?

Felton wants education to be considered a national security threat for just that reason. According to an op-ed in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, the amount we spend yearly on each soldier in Afghanistan could build 20 schools there. Imagine what we could do here in America, if only we had leaders in Congress with the common sense to put children first.

That is why when Felton is in Congress, he will make lengthening the school year a cornerstone of his agenda. In Australia, students spend 200 days per year in the classroom, and even our Canadian neighbors spend ten more days than the average student here. American high school graduates should not be disadvantaged going into the 21st century. We need more ingenuity and less excuses. We need leadership for a new time.