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The long and lazy summer days may become significantly shorter for some students nationwide if proponents of longer school years get their way. More schools are examining how to add days to the school year by lengthening the current school day or shortening summer vacation. Those in favor of more school time say the change is necessary to avoid many schoolchildren's academic challenges during the long summer months. Opponents argue that reducing summer vacation strips children of the needed respite from the academic grind and the opportunity for more in-depth learning opportunities. While both sides may have a legitimate point to make, the debate may be won by those with the most educational and political clout.

This video from NPR discusses the pros and cons of ditching the long summer break.

Education Secretary Leads the Charge

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is one of the biggest proponents for more school time. Duncan told the Washington Times it should be no surprise that American students are falling behind their counterparts across the globe who attend school in countries not bound by a 180-day school year. Duncan noted in the New York Times that the original 180-day school year was based on the agrarian economy, where children were expected to help in the fields during the summer months. That model is no longer accurate for today’s educational environment or the future workforce.

“If we’re serious

When lists come out of the rich and famous, it is often assumed that these individuals were raised in an elite environment filled with private schooling and tutors to guide them on their path to success. However, many of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies today came from much more humble beginnings – through the public school systems in their neighborhoods. If there was ever a doubt about how public school can launch students on the road to prosperity, these 15 individuals are living examples to dispel those doubts.

1. Michael T. Duke – Wal-Mart Stores

Michael Duke is currently serving as the fourth Chief Executive Officer for Wal-Mart. Duke joined the company in 1995 and quickly developed a broad base of experience as he led the Logistics, Distribution and Administration Divisions, and more recently, the U.S. Operations. From 2005 to 2009, Duke served as vice-chairman of the company, taking the reins as CEO in February, 2009.

Duke has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. After college, he held positions with a number of retail companies before heading to Wal-Mart, including Federated Department Stores, May Department Stores and Venture Stores. Before his college career, Michael Duke was a student at Fayette County High School, located in Fayetteville, Georgia, according to .

2. Rex W. Tillerson – Exxon Mobil

Rex W. Tillerson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for . According to the company website,

Fairfax County, along with other school districts across the country, is considering a scheduling change that would allow high school students to head to class a bit later in the morning. While studies seem to support the idea of pushing back high school start times, the issue is a complex one that involves carpools, bus schedules, and after-school activities. Would a major rearrangement of high school schedules be worth the effort?

School Board Member Pushes for Later Start Times in Fairfax

The reports that the driving force behind later start times in Fairfax County is school board member Sandy Evans. Evans co-founded Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal (SLEEP) in 2004, and she has been advocating for a new schedule in her county since that time.

“It is beneficial to their physical health, their mental health, and their academic health,” Evans told the Washington Times. “This [early schedule] just can’t be good for teenagers,” Evans added.

Evans is not alone in her concern over sleep deprivation in teens today. Nearby Montgomery County has also formed a work group to study the impact of later start times in high school performance. The study was in response to a petition signed by more than 10,000 parents who want to see the county move the start time at high schools from 7:25 to at least 8:15. However, the county does not appear as quick to institute that type of change, since a new

Online learning has become a popular way for many college students to earn a degree, but it is also making its way into many primary and secondary schools as well. With the rising popularity of cyber-charter schools nationwide, some public school districts are turning to cyber-education as a means of competing with other schools in their areas. But is online education the answer for public schools today? The answer depends on who you ask.

What is Cyber-Education?

According to , an online school, cyber or virtual schooling takes place on the Internet, rather than a traditional classroom. Students go online from anywhere they choose, allowing them to keep up with school work from home or on the road. Access to teachers is completed through phone calls, online through conferencing, or face-to-face in some instances. Teachers that work in cyber-schools are state-certified and oversee virtual classrooms, where students often have the opportunity to interact with their instructors and peers.

While cyber-schools maintain a sense of structure in their virtual classrooms, there is flexibility in education that is not seen in a brick-and-mortar classroom. The success of students in cyber-education rests more squarely on parents, who must ensure students remain focused even if they are doing their learning from the comfort of home. However, unlike homeschooling, parents do not act as instructors in the cyber-school experience.

This video from SUNY offers an overview of online learning.