| Back to school means that children face a number of | | | | Perhaps you have wondered if more kids attended |
| issues and challenges in the classroom. There are | | | | school, maybe there would be less crime? The |
| learning disabilities, and bullying, violence, plus | | | | relationship between school attendance and crime |
| discrimination. There are also some disadvantaged | | | | goes back more than 200 years. |
| schools and classrooms without enough books or | | | | Crime has been around for thousands of years, long |
| desks. Additionally, many children themselves are | | | | before the school attendance statutes. References |
| facing health challenges such obesity, dyslexia, or | | | | to youth gangs are recorded in the Bible along with |
| depression. | | | | education, achievement and learning. |
| One student drops out every 26 seconds in America, | | | | On August 1, 2008 Senator Kennedy introduced the |
| and for African-Americans the number is one million | | | | Time for Innovation Matters in Education (TIME) Act, |
| dropouts a year. (Source: American Alliance) | | | | which appears to be an important next step for the |
| In fact, Harvard found in a study that black students | | | | movement on expanded learning time. |
| fall behind by the time they are three years old. | | | | Co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New |
| Three quarters of one million New York students are | | | | Mexico and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the |
| a minority, and 70 percent are impoverished. Schools | | | | Act is intended to provide federal funding that |
| are fighting to change this, proving that smaller | | | | supports states expanding their school days. This |
| schools, mentoring and focusing on a student's | | | | reform initiative is modeled after the Massachusetts |
| individual needs is what is beating the odds. | | | | Expanded Learning Time Initiative, and would enable |
| Teachers and parents know that education is more | | | | low-performing, high-poverty schools to implement a |
| than just classrooms and books. What is finally | | | | longer school days or school years, by the year 2010. |
| encouraging, is that the government is finally | | | | If the TIME Act is enacted, $350 million will be |
| proposing new bills to help deflect problems like this | | | | allocated next year and up to $500 million in 2014. |
| and increase a student's chances to learn. | | | | |