I think it is a good idea. It's unfortunate that the parents and the children in my household have a mis-matched day. I would love that my children would have a safe and nuturing place to go daily. The schedule such that I can drop off and pick up myself. I hate that I have to hustle after-school care with who and when...not to mention HW assignments waiting for me to give clarity and understanding. I imagine the day would include enrichments, drills, activities to build social, physical and academic growth. The perfect model could stagger in instruction with certified teachers and specialists in various fields. Deeper and broader preparation for every young person. So yes longer, but better days too, don't just tack on time...that way everybody wins!

Our schools are not qualified to care for children for the hours per day they cover, let alone more hours. Children need rest, play, exercise, attention from adults and relief from stress. The overcrowded hothouse academies we have now are damaging children's physical and emotional health. And it's unfair to ask for more taxes from those of us who have made a financial sacrifice in our careers so we can care for our own children and provide them with rest, exercise and play just so others can have free child care all day long under the pretense that it will provide a better education. It won't.

not sure how my kids would get homework done and in teh case of my 7-year-old, also get some playtime in with an elongated day

Too many people seem to see school as a kind of daycare, a place where they can offload the job of parenting their children. I signed up to teach, to help kids, to support their success. But school is not a warehouse, nor are teachers supposed to parent. We help students learn to think abstractly, to write effectively, and to contextualize the world in which they live. The real issue is that American families are, more and more, at the breaking point. There's no one home when kids get home, no one taking care of them after school. It's no solution to extend the school day. The real solution is to promote work schedules that accommodate a family's changing needs in terms of child care. But everyone's working longer days, whilst the wealthy grab ever more of the national income.