Baltimore Polytechnic Institute principal Barney Wilson talks with students during a class change, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, in Baltimore. A year is a long time in a child's education, the time it can take to learn cursive writing or beginning algebra. It's also how much time kids can spend with substitute teachers from kindergarten through high school _ time that experts say is all but lost for learning. Yet despite tremendous pressure on school administrators to increase instructional time and meet performance deadlines under the 2002 No Child Left Behind Education law, the vacuum created by teacher absenteeism has been all but ignored. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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