parents don't know that their children do? can we please ask the media and the politicians? how is it now that kids are smarter somehow than their parents? can someone give me a definition or when it changed, when it was okay or a good idea to pit kids against their parents and allow government officials to do it? the president recently announced he wants to elongate the school day and school year so kids will be away from their parents even more time during the year and now they're in the hands of department of ed, monolithic face lest democracy that america was somehow or another able to limp through without until 1979. this is not some institution that we've always had. 1979. and nothing has gotten better. this is a new organization. the department of education. and they are gaining more and more power.