"American school children typically attend school for about six hours a day, 180 days per year. This schedule has not changed since public schools were founded nearly 200 years ago."" (Waldfogel). The idea of longer school days has taken on new urgency, thanks to the growing concerns about competing in the global economy. .
In discussions and debates about longer school days, many people are arguing about whether or not to add 90 minutes to each school day. Most parents, teachers and (of course) students, are against implementing a longer school day. .
Research shows that longer school days are not beneficial, and if parents, students and teachers are not together on this idea, it will not work. Teachers and students want a better school day, not a longer one, and indeed, quantity does not produce quality. Therefore, extending the school day will not produce a giant leap forward in learning.
We already know that most of the children in schools today resent a longer school day. Concerns for the children are important. Students who experience frequent changes in their school day length's experience distress which can lead to emotional problems and behavioral problems issues. These changes most affect students with prior behavioral problems and learning disabilities. Unhappy children can cause problems within the school system. Some children may act out or let their grades drop as a way of rebelling while others may outwardly protest the change with civil disobedience. Students often experience behavioral problems when transitioning between elementary and secondary school and experiencing dramatic changes in school hours. Time sampling research - of students for all social classes and in a wide range of schools " has shown that young people are less happy in school than in any other setting in which they regularly find themselves. Some are so unhappy that they commit suicide. Large numbers become clinically depressed or anxious because of longer school hours and no free play time.
