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Could our faltering economy be good for schools? This was broadcast as a "Perspective" on KQED FM 88.5, on July 23, 2001 I feel bad for anyone laid off or unable to make ends meet due to the economic slowdown. But I must tell you; the recent downturn may be the best thing to happen to our schools in years. Some out-of-work dot-commers with college degrees are undertaking the arduous journey to become much-needed teachers. And Governor Davis has finally allowed crummy projected state revenues to convince him what educators could not; that extending the middle school year for an extra month is a bad idea. Its unfortunate our "education governor" has been unable to respond to the urgent needs of our struggling schools with the resources miraculously available to keep our TV's and electric lights on. It would have been nice to pay teachers something comparable to what we've been shelling out for a Texas-sized megawatt. Still, as things improve I think we can build on the benefits of a bad economy with a couple of real reforms to improve teaching. First, we could extend the school year by two weeks, not for students but just for teachers. American teachers spend a far greater proportion of their time in front of the class teaching than do their counterparts in other countries. One week at the beginning of the year would allow for team building and planning, and a week mid-year could be used for collaboration and research. Students overseas benefit greatly because their teachers get a little time every year to think, talk and learn about teaching. Second, we could institute an actual paid internship program for beginning teachers that would put these interns to work at the side of experienced teachers for two years, instead of using interns to replace them. Ever since class-size reduction created a huge demand for more teachers, urban districts have become a training ground for novice teachers, who leave for greener pastures once certified. Is it any wonder these schools have trouble raising their scores? Maybe if our economy recovers from the mugging by the energy bandits, we can scrape together a billion or two to pay for these changes. Then the schools could benefit from a good economy as well as a bad one. With a Perspective, I'm Anthony Cody.