Self-Centered Kids Need Longer School Days?

My colleague Adam passed on two articles today. The first, from MSNBC, deals with growing narcissism in college students:

The researchers traced the phenomenon back to what they called the “self-esteem movement” that emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort to build self-confidence had gone too far.

It's an interesting article, though I'd be curious to see how they'd back up points such as:

“Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism,” Twenge said. “By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube.”

The second article, from CNN, explores the idea of an eight-hour school day. I like this idea (as school kids around the nation groan), especially with the way schools have been cutting art and music classes. I also think it's odd that this is the first I've heard anyone even suggest adding time to the school week in this way.

At Edwards Middle School, an extended-day school in Boston, students are staging musicals, designing book covers for favorite novels and coming up with new cheers to boost school spirit -- an activity favored by 13-year-old Janice Tang.

"This is a class where I can express myself, be active," Tang said one afternoon after she pumped her arms in the air during a girls-only class that incorporates cheering with topics such as sex education and discouraging smoking. "It's very cool, and I have fun a lot."