Longer School Years

I see that our President is pushing for longer school days. 

U.S. schools through high school offer an average of 180 instruction days per year, according to the Education Commission of the States, compared to an average of 197 days for lower grades and 196 days for upper grades in countries with the best student achievement levels, including Japan, South Korea, Germany and New Zealand.
"That month makes a difference," the president said. "It means that kids are losing a lot of what they learn during the school year during the summer. It's especially severe for poorer kids who may not see as many books in the house during the summers, aren't getting as many educational opportunities."

I really don't think that the length of the school year is the President's business.  That's a state concern.  For that matter, I'm on record saying that the US Department of Education should be abolished.  If it weren't for the educational meddling that the US government has foisted on the states over the past several decades, we probably wouldn't be in the educational mess we're in now.

Created by Jimmy Carter in 1979, the DOE has done nothing but meddle in the education system ever since. Each President since has compounded the insanity of that department, culminating with George W. Bush' No Child Left Behind.

If President Obama wanted to make a mark on K-12 education in the United States, he'd immediately announce the abolition of the DOE and return education to the states, where it belongs.