It Figures

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By Cynthia Washam

School Snippets

Average hours per night children ages 8--13 spend on homework: 11/2 to 1 3/4

Average hours per week parents spend helping with homework: 3

Number of students who took classes through the Florida Virtual School, a service providing high-school courses online: 90,000

Percent of schools in the U.S. that reduced time spent teaching such subjects as music, art and geography after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 tied federal funding to schools' progress in English and math: 71

Minimal minutes of recess time per day teachers say is needed to improve children's classroom behavior: 15

Percent of school districts nationwide that cut recess time in the wake of No Child Left Behind: 22

Percent of South Korean school children who get tutoring outside of school: 58

Percent of American children who get tutoring outside of school: 25

Percent of elementary school students who eat fruit with their school lunch: 50

Percent of high school students who eat fruit with their school lunch: 25

Percent of students who eat fruit when a cafeteria worker suggests it: 70

Percent of students who use cursive on the written portion of the SAT college entrance exam: 15

Number of British schoolchildren, some as young as 13, who were reported by their teachers to police as terrorism suspects: 200

 

Sources: Natural Awakenings, Education Week, The Center for Public Education, Current Events, Education Week, Nutrition Week, Newsweek, Boingboing.net

 

 

School Stats

Percent of U.S. school children who consider physical education their favorite subject: 26

Percent who feel the same way about a foreign language: 3

Percent higher students who've had four or more years of a foreign language score on the reading, writing and math sections of the SAT, compared to students with a half year or less:  19

Percent of American high school students who study any foreign language: 44

Percent of European high school students who study at least one foreign language: more than 90

Percent of American children, ages 6-11, who take after-school lessons in such disciplines as dance, art, computers and religion: 33

Number of state legislators nationwide who visit classrooms each year to discuss the legislative process with students: more than 1,200

Number of years since they've been doing so under the America's Legislators Back to School Program: 10

 

Source: 1UP, Marketingvox.com, The Oregonian, Scholastic, Early-advantage.com, Euractiv.com, Districtadministration.com, Infoplease.com, National Conference of State Legislatures

 

 

Teacher Tidbits

Year World Teachers' Day, Oct. 5, was initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: 1993

Number of countries that observe World Teachers' Day: more than 100

Average number of hours teachers work per week, including grading assignments and other tasks at home: more than 50

Average amount of their own money teachers spend each year on their classrooms: $443

 

Sources: Scripturecandy.com, The Virginian-Pilot, Gainesville Sun, Wired, Sports Illustrated Kids, Newsweek, Teacher-appreciation.info, Suite101.com