Education Group Calls For Extended School Day
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Parents rallied outside the Department of Education headquarters in Manhattan Tuesday where they called for a longer school day and school year.
The Coalition for Educational Justice, the teachers union, and local politicians are pushing for a new academic calendar, with 30 percent more time added to each day for low performing schools.
"The main point is to redesign and expand the school day. We feel that the best public schools, traditional public schools, and the best charter school have redesigned the day," said rally participant O'Cynthia Williams.
"We can talk about how to take a school structure that was created 100 years ago and bring it into the 21st century. I'm not sure it was ever in the 20th century but we'll leap right over the 20th century and bring it into the 21st century," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
The parents group proposes funding the extended time with federal stimulus dollars, but New York is already competing against other states for that funding.
Coalition members acknowledge the tough budget climate, but say changing the school calendar should still be a priority.