Year round school: What do you think?
I read with interest this story from the Washington Post that describes one family's experience with year round school.
As a Mom who juggles work and young kids, the transition to summer for my family is nothing short of absolutely chaotic. My house has become nothing but bags (one for camp, one for swim team, one for bug spray and sunscreen, etc) and wet towels from the pool. We've been out of school since June 5 and we've yet to find our summer groove.
From Schulte's Post article:
Both President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have called the traditional school day and school year outdated and inadequate for the demands of 21st-century life. Students in countries that routinely outscore the United States on international tests go to school for as many as 230 days each year, 50 more than kids typically attend here. "Go ahead and boo me," Duncan said in April to Denver students. "I think schools should be open six, seven days a week, eleven, twelve months a year."
And we know the effect of summer on kids at risk, the "summer slide" that eats away at the progress kids make during the school year. Year-round school doesn't have to mean the same thing every day all year long. As Schulte describes, her school uses intersessions, which are designed to be full of hands-on, big project classes.
Clearly this is a big topic, one I'm touching on too lightly to present all the issues clearly. But for me, this week, year round school doesn't sound half bad.
In case you're interested, Brigid Schulte did an online Question/Answer following the publication of her article.
Note: Comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for their content.
I have to say that I won't continue teaching if it reaches a year around status. I DO need that time to regroup, focus on professional development, and have some time for myself that I do not get September through June. We will lose so many good teachers if this happens. I am angry that parents can't even handle 2 summer months with their kids. The reasons our country is falling behind others on tests is not because school is not open 7 days a week (trust me, at that point kids would be off the wall). Our problem is the ever changing society, more two-working parents, poverty, etc. where kids come to school with little to no support at home. Teachers cannot be responsible for everything. I get angry that we continue and contine to try to find the best solution for this country and our kids and it continues to get worse and worse! My parents always told me they looked so forward to summer vacation: it meant spending all the time they wanted with their children, camping, outings, etc. Now parents want more time away. Wow.
Guess what, folks, lots of people (yes, two working parents) just don't have the luxury of "spending all the time they want with their children" in the summer. On the contrary, they are lucky to have more than 2 weeks vacation to spend with their kids. Sure, it's great if parents can spend time teaching and playing with their kids all summer. But for some parents the juggling they have to do in the summer is not about wet towels and gym bags but cobbling together child care and summer camps to cover all the time the kids are out of school but the parents are at work.
Year-round school does not mean year-round child care. It could mean that schools actually have more time to do project-based work and include more arts and enrichment activities. It will prevent the summer slide in skills and yes, it will give those kids who don't have support at home, a chance to get some meaningful attention. I'd really like to see this be a national discussion.
Year round school: What do you think?placekeeper
Posted by: Anonymous on September 17, 2009 08:17 PMi love school but i also love a break from it some times so i can relax i also see my family dearing the summer so if we have school i wont see them
Who is footing the bill for year-round schools? Has President Obama considered the financial impact such a reform would have on already over-burdened schools? Many schools, like the elementary schools in my district, do not have air conditioning. Physically, there is no way that students could work in these classrooms during the hot summer months. Who would pay for the costly installation of air conditioning units in these schools and the additional revenue involved in keeping schools functioning throughout the summer?
Does Obama think teachers and support staff would be willing to donate their time working both extended hours and an extended calendar year or that their unions would allow that? Who will pay for the increased salaries for teachers and support staff?
This is so typical of educational reform. Policies are changed before financial feasibility is considered. Is the government going to allocate additional money to schools to cover all of these costs? Or will they expect school districts who are operating on already tight and sometimes overdrawn budgets to miraculously do so? We can barely pass renewal levies in this limping economy. Will Washington really expect us to ask our financially-challenged communities to support additional school taxes?
Before this goes any further, educational reformers need to look, not just at what they see as benefits to year-round school, but at the financial feasibility of such a plan in our current economic situation.
So, I ask again: President Obama, who is footing the bill for year-round school?
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Year round school: What do you think?placekeeper
Posted by: Anonymous on July 06, 2009 12:24 PMMore school seems to mean taking more and more teaching opportunities away from parents! I like having the summer to try to focus on things I want to learn with my kids. We can do projects and hands on things ourselves too! I get annoyed when parents think school is responsible for teaching everything. Duncan sounds like he likes this school of thought, so I guess everyone has his opinion. Don't you think teachers need time to regroup also? I have always thought it is such a demanding job that they need the time to rejuvenate. Being the nation with the highest academic scores does not mean the nation is "the best." I shudder to think of sending my kids away any more than they already are! :(
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