Education Reform: U.S. schools making little progress in improving student achievement
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President Barack Obama poses with 2nd graders at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 17, 2010. Obama reads book, including his new book "Of Thee I Sing," to approximately 90 children. UPI/Olivier Douliery/POOL
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Published: July 22, 2012 at 5:01 AM
By MARCELLA S. KREITERCHICAGO, July 22 (UPI) -- We haven't heard much of late about why Johnny can't read but a study released by Harvard's Program on Education Policy and Governance indicates U.S. students aren't making progress in catching up to their peers in other industrialized countries.
Debate is raging in Chicago on extending the school day to 7 hours for elementary school students and 7 1/2 hours, four days a week, for high school students in a system that had no funds even to give teachers the raises promised in the last contract negotiation. Classroom sizes are swelling throughout the country with districts laying off personnel because of dwindling property tax collections, the result of lowered real estate valuations from the housing industry implosion and subsequent recession.
The state of U.S. public education has been a whipping boy for decades with various schemes -- charter schools, vouchers, incentives for both students and teachers -- having little effect on overall performance. No Child Left Behind, which requires a specific percentage of students to meet
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