Not So Fantasic Four
http://news.yahoo.com/south-dakota-schools-cut-costs-4-day-week-171700903.html
Some schools in South Dakota have cut Friday classes from the school week.
The four-school week is an increasingly visible example of the impact of state budget problems on rural education. This fall, fully one-fourth of South Dakota's districts will have moved to some form of the abbreviated schedule. Only Colorado and Wyoming have a larger proportion of schools using a shortened week. According to one study, more than 120 school districts in 20 states, most in the west, now use four-day weeks.
Having worked in education I can't really say I'm too keen on this. Yes, money is tight. But a whole day from the school week is a big pill to swallow. I can't help but see this as making it harder for students from SD schools to compete with kids from other states for scholorships for one reason. There's also the additional burden this places on parents to find some way to make sure their kids are in a safe place most of one day of the week.
But the real kicker for me is how short-sighted big cuts in education are to me. It's been proven that the more education a person has the more they tend to earn. Granted, a high school dipoloma from a state with a four day school week is the same as one from a state with a five day week. But the trick is in both the quantity and quality of the education that slip of paper is supposed to represent.
Personally, I say end all farm subsidies nationwide. That'll round up a few dollars for education.
Some schools in South Dakota have cut Friday classes from the school week.
The four-school week is an increasingly visible example of the impact of state budget problems on rural education. This fall, fully one-fourth of South Dakota's districts will have moved to some form of the abbreviated schedule. Only Colorado and Wyoming have a larger proportion of schools using a shortened week. According to one study, more than 120 school districts in 20 states, most in the west, now use four-day weeks.
Having worked in education I can't really say I'm too keen on this. Yes, money is tight. But a whole day from the school week is a big pill to swallow. I can't help but see this as making it harder for students from SD schools to compete with kids from other states for scholorships for one reason. There's also the additional burden this places on parents to find some way to make sure their kids are in a safe place most of one day of the week.
But the real kicker for me is how short-sighted big cuts in education are to me. It's been proven that the more education a person has the more they tend to earn. Granted, a high school dipoloma from a state with a four day school week is the same as one from a state with a five day week. But the trick is in both the quantity and quality of the education that slip of paper is supposed to represent.
Personally, I say end all farm subsidies nationwide. That'll round up a few dollars for education.