Those that know me know that I was a huge fan of the ELT (Extended Learning Time) when Brophy had it for two years. IMO, the extra school time can only help _if_ is it implemented properly and everyone is on board.

I think it needs to be staged in for kids. First graders are *exhausted* at the end of most school days. Seventh graders could do with some more exhaustion! Also, the lunch schedules would need to be better managed (no 10:45 lunches if school lasts until 4, for example).

This would be particularly useful if the time was not dedicated solely to math and science, but if it were used to reestablish strong music, art, physical education, and literature focuses. The world needs more than mathematicians and scientists for it to be worth living in.

Also, we would need to be sure to adequately compensate teachers, as well as provide sufficient mechanisims for them to still spend one-on-one time and get their grading in, without ruining the work-life balance. So, lots of logistical challenges, but I think it could be great for kids - which should be the goal of everyone.

It would also be good if the kids had more consistent 5 day school weeks. I find all these 1/2 days and days off disruptive the ths kids schedules. For example spelling words are given on Monday and the test is on Friday. Sometime the teachers still schedule it when there is less than 5 days and sometimes they skip it. If they have a special (art, music, etc.) on one day a week, it can be weeks before they have it again.

Ben - You're my new best friend. :-) Thank you!

I have to agree with this. We are in our 14th week of school, yet only 4 of them have been full 5 day weeks in the elementary school. Yes, some are holidays, but many are not. I've been shocked how inconsistent the schedule is.

I'm a huge believer in "kids get out of school what they put into it". I'm not in favor of adding additional hours to the school day or extending the year. Those hours and days could be better used doing sports or drama or clubs where they can explore what interests THEM and not have more of the same content shoved on them. The Medfield School System is an excellent system, our kids get a great education already and most of them end up in excellent colleges (if that's their plan). I'm agree with "Town Resident" that all these 1/2 days and other days should be eliminated to provide them with a more consistent, regular, predictable day than the nonsense we endure now.

What about sports? I know at the highschool sports start at 2:30 and go until close to 8 for some kids. How does adding hours to the day logistically fit in with after school activities? Also the amount of homework given at this point is not anywhere close to a fair amount if we were in school until 4pm. I could see a much less workload if the day was longer as a fair approach. And finally having nothing to do with the length of a school day, the professional development days should be during weekends or the summer. It makes no sense to disrupt a week for the teachers to come to school and do odd activities. The things that apparently develop them are given in classes like yoga etc. when enough credits are achieved. The whole system is corrupt and wont ever be fixed with these unions always getting what they want.

If "these unions" always got what they wanted, do you think teachers would be so badly paid? Yes to more opportunities for physical education, art, drama, creative writing, chess, field trips, etc. A well-rounded education is always the first thing to be threatened in any economically-challenged time, and that winds up being extremely costly in the long run--costly in every sense.

Learning happens at home as well, or rather, it should. Our children are not yet in elementary school, but when the time comes, we want our kids to have time to spend with us.

I agree these half days and full days off are not good for the children and I find they are disruptive to my son. In addition 10 weeks summer vacation is way too long for the children, my child starts getting bored after 6 weeks. Other countries only have 6 weeks vacation time.

More school time is great if there is less (or no) homework. In that case the kids can actually relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

What about considering block scheduling rather than longer school days? Rather than having six classes a day, focus on only three a day, but for two hours each. This allows for more in depth projects and lectures, prepares kids more for the college schedule, and allows them days of reprieve from certain classes they do not enjoy. It also allows for homework to not be constant, but for kids to have a day off from biology homework every other day and allows them to focus fully on their math homework instead. I do not believe making the school day longer is a viable option. Maybe making the school year longer is a better way to go. Sports need those day light hours and students need some time to complete their homework outside of class. If schools do not get out until four, that not only jeopardizes sports but also family time, which is important too.

The Advanced Math and Science Academy in Marlboro has a longer day by one hour and it appears to work extremely well. School starts at 8:05 and ends at 3:15 for grades 6-12.