Ten public school districts around the country are lengthening the school day and year in an effort to improve student academic performance. This effort follows the lead of many charter schools, which have adopted longer school calendars. Do you think adding time to the school year is a good idea? In "School Districts in 5 States Will Lengthen Their Calendars," Motoko Rich reports on the story: Detractors in teachers' unions, who say they need fair compensation for working more, have said that more hours and days in the classroom is not enough. What do you think are the benefits of adding hours to the school calendar? Do you think it will lead to better academic performance for some students? What do you think are the downsides of adding time to the school calendar? The article states, "Research on the benefits of adding time to the school day has so far been mixed." Why do you think the evidence might be mixed? Luis Ubiñas, the president of the Ford Foundation, says the initiative is not "about adding time and doing more of the same." Instead, he advocates "a total school makeover." What do you think a total school makeover might look like?