Posted on Fri, Jun. 26, 2009
IF YOU ARE reading this editorial, we can assume that you already have, or are about to, read other parts of the newspaper. And if you're an average reader, this will take you, according to studies, about 15 minutes (maybe less if you're reading online.)
Imagine the amount of information you're getting in that 15 minutes. Now imagine not getting it; you'd certainly feel less informed, and you might even feel less able to navigate the world.
No, this isn't an argument for the importance of newspapers. It's an argument for one of the battles heating up over Philadelphia teacher-contract negotiations. Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman wants to add 24 minutes to the average school day. She says that the law may be on her side; the state requires our school day to meet or exceed the average length of the commonwealth school day. In Pennsylvania, that day lasts seven hours and 28 minutes. In Philadelphia, it's just seven hours and four minutes.
When you do the math, 24 minutes a day comes out to 10 school days a year.
The problem? Half the kids in our schools can't do that math. Half can't reach reading standards for adequate yearly progress, either.
That's why it's hard to understand why Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan thinks "a longer day is not a better day." The PFT is pushing back on this and other changes that Ackerman wants to make. Granted, at this stage in any contract talks, there are volleys and jabs that don't necessarily reflect the state of those talks. And we have to believe that both the district and the teachers' union are ultimately not so far apart in their commitment to improving the quality of education for the city's children.
But the fact is that in 1996, the average length of the Philadelphia school day was six hours and 34 minutes. That changed in 2000. And despite the challenges our schools face, it's hard not to look at the progress the district has made in those years - elevating test scores, elevating math and reading proficiencies, and raising graduation rates - and not conclude that a longer school day is one factor that can make a big difference.
Of course, it's not just the length of the day, but what happens during the day that counts. But we'd be hard-pressed to think of anything a teacher might offer for 24 minutes that wouldn't have value - even if she or he had the class read the newspaper every day. *
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