WSJ: The Case for Saturday School

Appearing in the Saturday/Sunday, March 20-21, 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal (pages W1 and W2), this article, “The Case for Saturday School”, by Chester E. Finn, Jr. argues for additional time spent learning in school including more hours per day, more days per week and year. This essentially amounts to extended daycare. In particular, the comparison to education systems in other countries such as Singapore is weak. Students from Singapore fair better in the US standardized tests because they have a superior examination-based system that preps them over the course of two years, and includes timely “mock” examinations and a sabbatical to study for the exams. Further, students in Singapore typically have private tuition after-school and on weekends. The result has been students who have no opportunity to think creatively or critically, and who shy away from the challenges of leadership because of social and academic risks. In the US, an innovative model for educational reform is needed, and more time in school may be a great part of the plan, but it should be dedicated to creative and critical thinking, and not to out-compete students from other countries.