[genwin]

> We should expect our schools to furnish today's students with the education they will need to excel in our global society.

Problem is, schools don't do that in the first place, for the most part. So a longer school year may make things worse. For examples, schools don't teach negotiation, setting up a basic business, what to do if police ask to search your car or home, credit card management, and many other things arguably more important than today's school subjects. I need my kids to have less time in school so that I can teach them those more important things. I don't want them to be educated only to the level that they can toil away in a cube farm for MegaCorp. I also want my kids to have plenty of time to not be concerned with excelling in a global society; e.g. exploring national parks.