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Post by slt on May 6, 2009 8:48:09 GMT -5
I don't know when this will be published in the Beacon.
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Year round schooling seems to be gaining popularity. Thankfully there has been no suggestion of doing this in our local districts. When I recently heard of the plans to increase the number of year round schools in the Chicago Public School District I wondered if this trend might come our direction, possibly due to the flawed nature of No Child Left Behind requiring districts to attempt the impossible.
I am firmly opposed to such a schedule change for several reasons. Kids only get the chance to be a kid once. Children are not robots. They are young people who can benefit from long breaks from formal schooling to recharge and have different experiences. Their teachers likely expected similar breaks when choosing this profession.
Many of our schools lack air conditioning, which means it is crazy to have students attend and teachers teach during the hottest days of the year. In fact, we are doing that already with school starting on August 20 this year. The first day of school in this climate for schools that do not have air conditioning would be best pushed back to after Labor Day.
Studies have been inconclusive as to whether there are academic benefits to year round schooling. Even if all studies were to show that students had higher test scores with several shorter breaks throughout the year instead of a longer summer break, I contend that there are other factors in childhood that are important that are independent of scoring highly on academic achievement tests. Some form of summer school should be readily available, but only for those who want or need it. School should not be used as a way to keep kids from getting bored or from getting into trouble.
Summer is a great time for kids to pursue all kinds of activities, to relax, to read for pleasure instead of homework, and to hang out with friends, all without worrying about daily homework and school schedules. The days are longer and it is a good time of year to stay up later and sleep in for those who can.
In my own family we find that it’s hard to squeeze in all the summer activities we want to do as a family and as individuals – a vacation and a local weekend trip, Bible School, swimming, day trips, summer festivals, picnics, a variety of camps and a mission trip. None of these things would make much sense to do at another time of year when the weather here is not conducive to it. There is so little good weather in northern Illinois for outdoor activities that it would be a downright shame to have children sitting in classrooms during a majority of those days.
Year round schools use a variety of scheduling techniques and frequently incorporate the same number of days in the school year that we have now, just spread out differently with breaks interspersed throughout the year. I’d argue that having extra breaks during cold weather times would not make up for the lack of a longer break in summer. These schedules may cause issues for families if their children wind up on different schedules, or if the people they carpool with do, and for extra-curriculars that have events with other districts including band, sports, and many other student groups. It would also be a huge issue for those organizations that provide activities during times that kids are not in school such as the YMCA, park district, outdoor pools, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Many of these depend on parent volunteers and teen workers.
Our students are under tremendous pressure during the school year. Many high school students already have the additional demand of summer homework, yet they still enjoy the break from attending classes all day. Many use this chance to do some volunteering, to pursue other interests, and to work summer jobs.
Some would argue that we need to go this route to keep up with the world. In the five years my children have been attending Waubonsie Valley High School I have seen some remarkable high school students. I have been very impressed with what these students are doing and I think that the opportunity is already there for any interested student to be well-prepared to compete successfully in the modern-day world.
SherryTatar@ameritech.net
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Post by sportsmom on May 6, 2009 9:43:52 GMT -5
Sherry,
I agree with all the points you listed. I personally am ambivalent towards an all-year school schedule. I don't know enough about how it would effect me personally.
My favorite cousins live in a suburb of Sacramento and have always done year round school. While they live in "California" trust me when I tell you Sacramento isn't exactly a paradise year round. They get tons of rain.
My senior cousin is active in the band is on the boy's volleyball team. He excels academically and received a full scholarship to Pepperdine University on academics and volleyball. I am way jealous! His older brother excels in band and is in post-graduate school specializing in some form of dentisty.
There is no way these boys suffered by going year round.
I do know their mother loved it as they were given nice full weeks off where she could road trip 10 hours to Phoenix to visit grandma and grandpa.
Personally, I hate that choppy block of time 204 gets off in November for conferences/Veterans day. There's no way you can tell me that our kid's learning doesn't suffer during that time.
Our spring break is also planned too early in the season for Chicago. The only way to enjoy it is to take off and not many of us can do that.
Your article presents a great side of anti-all year, but I don't think it's as awful as you present it.
A/C is a definate requirement and so far 204 seems to not want to put that in under any circumstances so I don't think you need to worry.
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Post by gatordog on May 6, 2009 10:06:42 GMT -5
... Studies have been inconclusive as to whether there are academic benefits to year round schooling. Even if all studies were to show that students had higher test scores with several shorter breaks throughout the year instead of a longer summer break, I contend that there are other factors in childhood that are important that are independent of scoring highly on academic achievement tests. ..... Are the touted "academic benefits" primarily about staying sharp to perform on standardized tests? Once again, I have to be skeptical of a "school upgrade" that may not be so much about true learning, promoting academic growth, curiosity. But just gaining a few points on a standardized test. Just to clearly state my feelings, i support standardized tests as tool to measure and assess. But they are not a GOAL in and of themselves (which NCLB makes them into). |
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Post by asmodeus on May 6, 2009 11:51:23 GMT -5
I am in favor of year-round schooling. Let's remember, the current system was created not so "kids could be kids" but rather so kids could help out with the family farm. Those days are long gone. With YRS, there would still be significant time of during the summer months (as well as other points during the year).
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Post by wvhsparent on May 6, 2009 14:22:51 GMT -5
... Studies have been inconclusive as to whether there are academic benefits to year round schooling. Even if all studies were to show that students had higher test scores with several shorter breaks throughout the year instead of a longer summer break, I contend that there are other factors in childhood that are important that are independent of scoring highly on academic achievement tests. ..... Are the touted "academic benefits" primarily about staying sharp to perform on standardized tests? Once again, I have to be skeptical of a "school upgrade" that may not be so much about true learning, promoting academic growth, curiosity. But just gaining a few points on a standardized test. Just to clearly state my feelings, i support standardized tests as tool to measure and assess. But they are not a GOAL in and of themselves (which NCLB makes them into). Part of the benefits that I am aware of (My brother taught in Vegas - YRS) was there was less catch up time (refreshers) to get the kids back up to speed than traditional calendars. |
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Post by slt on May 6, 2009 15:52:59 GMT -5
I am in favor of year-round schooling. Let's remember, the current system was created not so "kids could be kids" but rather so kids could help out with the family farm. Those days are long gone. With YRS, there would still be significant time of during the summer months (as well as other points during the year). I don't see why the original reasoning for the schedule matters now. What do you see as the benefits to students, parents, teachers, administrators of changing the schedule? |
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Post by slt on May 6, 2009 16:04:16 GMT -5
Sherry, I agree with all the points you listed. I personally am ambivalent towards an all-year school schedule. I don't know enough about how it would effect me personally. My favorite cousins live in a suburb of Sacramento and have always done year round school. While they live in "California" trust me when I tell you Sacramento isn't exactly a paradise year round. They get tons of rain. My senior cousin is active in the band is on the boy's volleyball team. He excels academically and received a full scholarship to Pepperdine University on academics and volleyball. I am way jealous! His older brother excels in band and is in post-graduate school specializing in some form of dentisty. There is no way these boys suffered by going year round. I do know their mother loved it as they were given nice full weeks off where she could road trip 10 hours to Phoenix to visit grandma and grandpa. Personally, I hate that choppy block of time 204 gets off in November for conferences/Veterans day. There's no way you can tell me that our kid's learning doesn't suffer during that time. Our spring break is also planned too early in the season for Chicago. The only way to enjoy it is to take off and not many of us can do that. Your article presents a great side of anti-all year, but I don't think it's as awful as you present it. A/C is a definate requirement and so far 204 seems to not want to put that in under any circumstances so I don't think you need to worry. Thanks. It sounds as if your relatives have done fine in this setting (and I don't think I said it would be detrimental to one's education anyway...) Do you know if the other schools in their area were also year round schools? I would think that would make a difference. I can see where breaks at various times of year might be useful for visiting relatives who are not school-aged, but not for visiting school-aged relatives whose schools are on very different schedules (which I know can have some conflicts already). I agree on spring break usually being too early to have good weather here. I can't see a/c happening here anytime soon given the current economy. |
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Post by slt on May 6, 2009 16:09:55 GMT -5
... Studies have been inconclusive as to whether there are academic benefits to year round schooling. Even if all studies were to show that students had higher test scores with several shorter breaks throughout the year instead of a longer summer break, I contend that there are other factors in childhood that are important that are independent of scoring highly on academic achievement tests. ..... Are the touted "academic benefits" primarily about staying sharp to perform on standardized tests? Once again, I have to be skeptical of a "school upgrade" that may not be so much about true learning, promoting academic growth, curiosity. But just gaining a few points on a standardized test. Just to clearly state my feelings, i support standardized tests as tool to measure and assess. But they are not a GOAL in and of themselves (which NCLB makes them into). Yes, higher test scores seem to be the measure of academic benefit. However, schools that have moved to year round schooling for its academic benefits have usually made several other changes to improve academics at the same time, making it impossible to separate the effects. Some teachers report not having to spend so much time on the "annual review" that is done at the beginning of each school year, while others report having to spend time on such reviews several times a year instead, after each return from a break. Teaching to tests is a whole different subject. There is so much I don't like about NCLB that I haven't yet finished the column I started on it over a year ago. |
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Post by slt on May 11, 2009 7:07:13 GMT -5
Published today - www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/1567263,2_4_AU11_TATAR_S1.article Students, teachers both need their time off in the summer Comments May 11, 2009 Year-round schooling seems to be gaining popularity. Thankfully, there has been no suggestion of doing this in our local districts. When I recently heard of the plans to increase the number of year-round schools in the Chicago Public School District I wondered if this trend might come our direction, possibly due to the flawed nature of No Child Left Behind requiring districts to attempt the impossible. I am firmly opposed to such a schedule change for several reasons. Kids only get the chance to be a kid once. Children are not robots. They are young people who can benefit from long breaks from formal schooling to recharge and have different experiences. Their teachers likely expected similar breaks when choosing this profession. Many of our schools lack air conditioning, which means it is crazy to have students attend and teachers teach during the hottest days of the year. In fact, we are doing that already with school starting on Aug. 20 this year. The first day of school in this climate for schools that do not have air conditioning would be best pushed back to after Labor Day. Studies have been inconclusive as to whether there are academic benefits to year-round schooling. Even if all studies were to show that students had higher test scores with several shorter breaks throughout the year instead of a longer summer break, I contend that there are other factors in childhood that are important that are independent of scoring highly on academic achievement tests. Some form of summer school should be readily available, but only for those who want or need it. School should not be used as a way to keep kids from getting bored or from getting into trouble. Summer is a great time for kids to pursue all kinds of activities, to relax, to read for pleasure instead of homework, and to hang out with friends, all without worrying about daily homework and school schedules. The days are longer, and it is a good time of year to stay up later and sleep in for those who can. In my own family we find that it's hard to squeeze in all the summer activities we want to do as a family and as individuals -- a vacation and a local weekend trip, Bible School, swimming, day trips, summer festivals, picnics, a variety of camps and a mission trip. None of these things would make much sense to do at another time of year when the weather here is not conducive to it. There is so little good weather in northern Illinois for outdoor activities that it would be a downright shame to have children sitting in classrooms during a majority of those days. Year-round schools use a variety of scheduling techniques and frequently incorporate the same number of days in the school year that we have now, just spread out differently with breaks interspersed throughout the year. I'd argue that having extra breaks during cold weather times would not make up for the lack of a longer break in summer. These schedules may cause issues for families if their children wind up on different schedules, or if the people they carpool with do, and for extracurriculars that have events with other districts including band, sports and many other student groups. It would also be a huge issue for those organizations that provide activities during times that kids are not in school, such as the YMCA, park district, outdoor pools, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Many of these depend on parent volunteers and teen workers. Our students are under tremendous pressure during the school year. Many high school students already have the additional demand of summer homework, yet they still enjoy the break from attending classes all day. Many use this chance to do some volunteering, to pursue other interests and to work summer jobs. Some would argue that we need to go this route to keep up with the world. In the five years my children have been attending Waubonsie Valley High School I have seen some remarkable high school students. I have been very impressed with what these students are doing, and I think that the opportunity is already there for any interested student to be well-prepared to compete successfully in the modern-day world. SherryTatar@ameritech.net |
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Post by asmodeus on May 11, 2009 8:52:32 GMT -5
For students (which are really the ones that matter), more learning.
Some parents will be inconvenienced, though the majority would actually find it better for their schedules.
I'm guessing teachers would probably be against it the most.
And I acknowledge that we cannot even have this discussion without addressing the a/c situation.
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Post by title1parent on Jul 14, 2009 7:44:45 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=306601&src=A case against year-round schoolLetter to the Editor Published: 7/14/2009 DH Summer vacation is probably the most looked forward to time of the year for any student in school. With year-round school, students would get the same amount of time off - just periodically spread throughout the year. It does seem like a good idea in theory with breaks during the year, but year-round school has disadvantages that will hit the nerves of many students and parents. Childcare for younger students would be difficult to find, especially with the periodic breaks. If a family has more than one child at school, it complicates things to have children on different breaks. Then there are the fun things that people plan in the summer like vacations, camps and sports. All the adjusting that would need to go into year-round school, such as parents having to completely alter their schedules for their children and teachers having to change the curriculum in order to fit the new time schedule, would make it a hassle for everybody. I'm used to counting down the days and being excited to enjoy three months of nice weather and complete rest and relaxation with a long break before the next grade. Year round schools seems, to me, like a never-ending time of school with a few small breaks in between years. Tracy Reddington Student Jacobs High School Algonquin
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Post by wvhsparent on Jul 14, 2009 9:35:54 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=306601&src=A case against year-round schoolLetter to the Editor Published: 7/14/2009 DH Summer vacation is probably the most looked forward to time of the year for any student in school. With year-round school, students would get the same amount of time off - just periodically spread throughout the year. It does seem like a good idea in theory with breaks during the year, but year-round school has disadvantages that will hit the nerves of many students and parents. Childcare for younger students would be difficult to find, especially with the periodic breaks. If a family has more than one child at school, it complicates things to have children on different breaks. Then there are the fun things that people plan in the summer like vacations, camps and sports. All the adjusting that would need to go into year-round school, such as parents having to completely alter their schedules for their children and teachers having to change the curriculum in order to fit the new time schedule, would make it a hassle for everybody. I'm used to counting down the days and being excited to enjoy three months of nice weather and complete rest and relaxation with a long break before the next grade. Year round schools seems, to me, like a never-ending time of school with a few small breaks in between years. Tracy Reddington Student Jacobs High School Algonquin A weak case sorry.....but I agree that if year round wer to be done it needs to be done everywhere at the same time. Let's break down her points- Childcare for younger students would be difficult to find, especially with the periodic breaks. If a family has more than one child at school, it complicates things to have children on different breaks.
Unlikely to happen. It should be mandated that familes would always be on the same track. IIRC when my brother taught in Vegas, all children from one family were always on the same track so they all had the same time off. Could there be someone who gets missed?- sure. if so the parents would merely have to inform the SD and a fix made. Then there are the fun things that people plan in the summer like vacations, camps and sports.
OK how long are family vacations normally? 2 weeks? You are off for a month....... let's see... 2 weeks in Fla/AZ/anywhere warm in mid Feb instead of July? sounds good to me! OK camps and sports might be longer, but if everyone was year round those would also get adjusted to accomodate. All the adjusting that would need to go into year-round school, such as parents having to completely alter their schedules for their children and teachers having to change the curriculum in order to fit the new time schedule, would make it a hassle for everybody.
Translation - I don't like change! Like asmo said earlier, parents will probaly find it acually works better for their schedules too. They may have an easier time taking time off from their jobs instead of competing witheveryone else at their jobs for those now coveted summer months. Same with teachers. I'm used to counting down the days and being excited to enjoy three months of nice weather and complete rest and relaxation with a long break before the next grade. Year round schools seems, to me, like a never-ending time of school with a few small breaks in between years.
What? No summer job? Do your parents give you all you need, so you can rest and relax the entire summer? Good for you! Most kids don't have it so lucky! Remember the real reason you had summer off before was so you could work on the family farm. never-ending time of school with small breaks - Hey that sound a lot like real life jobs that we all have.....hmmmm |
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Post by asmodeus on Jul 14, 2009 12:41:08 GMT -5
The important issue is whether year-round schooling is something we need to implement to remain academically competitive with other parts of the country and the rest of the world. All the other stuff is relatively unimportant.
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Post by momto4 on Jul 14, 2009 12:59:02 GMT -5
The important issue is whether year-round schooling is something we need to implement to remain academically competitive with other parts of the country and the rest of the world. All the other stuff is relatively unimportant. I disagree. I think that quality of family life and downtown for kids are important and that many kids are excelling in our current setup already. If something different is needed for some, it shouldn't be forced upon all. |
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Post by asmodeus on Jul 14, 2009 13:35:37 GMT -5
As do I...but I know families who have kids in YRS and they seem to have a fine quality of life.
Yet many or most would also benefit from not having so much consecutive time off.
You're assuming this would only help the lowest performing students...I think it would stand to help everyone.
Imagine you have a choice of two schools in a district, one offering the traditional schedule and the other offering YRS. The YRS shows better scores overall, but otherwise is identical in its offerings to students. Which would you choose for your kids? In other words, is your resistance to YRS based purely on the "benefits" of the 3-month vacation or are you just not convinced it makes a difference academically?
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