Peabody Massachusetts is a mostly white, middle class, north-shore suburb of Boston with a population of about 50,000. Its median income is slightly higher than the Massachusetts average. Nothing too special about the community that would set it apart from many similar communities.

I don't know too many details but I have heard many stories of cutbacks in schools. This is also true in some of the more affluent communities but probably less so. The families of the students sometimes must even pay for some of what is left.

It did not start with No Child Left Behind. This goes back a ways. It seems more related to general fiscal problems than time constraints.

I don't think the U.S. in general is doing a good job of educating its population. The majority of public schools are not giving students much of an opportunity to develop thinking skills. I suspect that these are not valued too highly by society.

People in general, are not a priority by government at any level. E.g., your superintendent rationalizing why shorter lunch break.

Wonderful article. In your superlative analysis of what has been taken out of American education, you have eloquently described exactly what should be put back in. I completely agree with your assessment of the appalling treatment of students in primary and secondary education. Having recently ceased my suckling of the teat of high school, I can look back on my experiences with some degree of objectivity (although through the slightly shaded spectacles of sarcasm).What I see is perfectly put forth in your essay--an institution almost devoid of concern for a student's well-being. Given the competitive nature of the college selection process, students are forced to pack themselves into whatever and however many packages they can. National Honors Society, Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership, varsity athletics etc.. we are forced to maintain this sophistry intended to delude the post-secondary Gods into thinking we are well-informed, inspired and interested citizens. Rather than being focused on spending our formative years trying to find out who we are, the administration goads us into getting into those upper level colleges so that the state education boards might give them a bigger budget and bigger payrolls. Teachers, principles, superintendents do not, should not exist to put more pressure on kids to achieve. They should exist, in the words of David Mamet, "to help us, not to fuck us up..." 20 minute lunches, hour long classes, and apathetic instructors to not help us. I doubt that any law or governmental interference can rectify that. Forgive the inane ramblings, but this topic sort of touched a nerve. I hate seeing some of my best friends walk out of something as meaningless as high school as jaded and cynical as they are.

School is too hard for kids now, not too easy. No recess? What the hell is that all about? These are kids people, not little adults.

Oh my gosh! I have felt like a complete lunatic for worrying so much about my son's lunch schedule the last few weeks. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who cares about this or thinks it's wrong to take everything fun or socially oriented out of school altogether. It really bothers me that he has 20 minutes for lunch (door to door--not eating time). He crams his lunch in his mouth every day. I have seriously considered sending him to school with a can of Ensure. He also gets a whopping 15 minutes of recess. It's ridiculous. Doesn't anyone care about the people that these little kids are? I have a hard time knowing what to do about it though. As it is our school has no art or music. They have taken everything fun out of school and to what end? It really doesn't seem to be helping. Perhaps it is moving in the wrong direction.

I have argued with my sons schools for a few years over how much time they are given for lunch. Which is even less if a teacher holds a class over for discipline.

I have argued that we are teaching our children bad eating habits which will follow them through adulthood. Look at the number of obese children we have in our schools. Now look at the ever increasing numbers of obese adults.

Gym is also only once a week. So not only are we teaching our children bad eating habits but we are not teaching them any corrective measures for those habits. The results will be just as costly in the years to come, with increased heart disease and hypertension. But then you don't want to get me started there.

When I grew up in Denver we had 30 minutes for lunch and from 1 - 6 grade, gym every day. We also were allowed to go out and play, stretch, relax and have fun after we finished our meal. So we could take as long or as short as we liked eating and then play or read. I'd have to email my friends, but I think it's still the same . And yes they have the same high stakes, leave no child behind, testing that we do in MA.

"And how much would you like to bet that when you take away free play and exercise, kids actually have a harder time concentrating and sitting still in the classroom?"

It would be interesting to see if the rates of school discipline problems and treatment for ADD/ADHD, etc. have gone up since exercise in school has gone down.

It is also interesting to note that one of the criticisms of home schooling was the lack of socialization children would be getting. But really, are they getting socialization in their schools now?

Another interesting phenomenon is happening in Fall River (and other places as well I venture). Teens are so scared of, stressed and paranoid over high stakes testing that they are actually dropping out of school. These drop out rates go under reported and are not tied to MCAS or NCLB.

You can't see the children left behind (dropping out) if that information is not tied to MCAS performance.