Back to School Educational Issues Include TIME

This year, children will face a number of issues and challenges at school and in the classroom including bullying, violence, and discrimination as well as the fact that there are some disadvantaged schools and classrooms without enough books or desks. What's more, many children themselves are facing individual challenges such as health problems, depression, obesity, dyslexia, disabilities, and other social issues.

Parents and teachers alike know that education is more than just classrooms and books. That we know, and I often post articles on this topic in my own educational website known as RoccoBasile.org. But what is finally encouraging, is that the government is finally proposing new bills to help deflect problems like this and increase a student's chances to learn.

For instance, Senator Kennedy recently (8/1/08) introduced the Time for Innovation Matters in Education (TIME) Act, which appears to be an important next step for the expanded learning time movement.

Co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, it is intended to provide federal funding that supports states expanding their school days in pilot schools. This reform initiative, modeled after the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative, would enable low-performing, high-poverty schools to implement a longer school days or school years, by 2010. If enacted, the TIME Act allocates $350 million next year and up to $500 million in the year 2014.

Senator Kennedy emphasizes the need to help American schools to remain competitive, and also a need to ensure that each student gets a 21st century education. He and his co-sponsors believe in expanded learning time as a promising new reform strategy for American schools.