The Case Against Summer Vacation

[gatordog]

Jul 29, 2010 15:30:46 GMT -5 momto4 said:

Jul 29, 2010 11:25:02 GMT -5 asmodeus said:

Just 3 hours per day?

I don't get it, either.

South Korea has about the same ratio.

Maybe one part of this is schools in Japan and South Korea typically have long mid-day breaks. Kids go home for lunch. These are highly urban areas, so it is pretty easy for this to happen for most kids.

Second, and this is probably the most important reason, Japanese and Korean schools give massive amounts of homework, even for elementary school. Doesnt count of course for "teacher instructional hours" but still many hours of learning are being done per school day.

And these schools seem to be quite effective.

[wvhsparent]

Jul 28, 2010 16:37:51 GMT -5 gatordog said:

Jul 26, 2010 22:39:00 GMT -5 wvhsparent said:

.....

Deprived of healthy stimulation, millions of low-income kids lose a significant amount of what they learn during the school year. Call it "summer learning loss," as the academics do, or "the summer slide," but by any name summer is among the most pernicious — if least acknowledged — causes of achievement gaps in America's schools. Children with access to high-quality experiences can exercise their minds and bodies at sleep-away camp, on family vacations, in museums and libraries and enrichment classes. Meanwhile, children without resources languish on street corners or in front of glowing screens. .....

I read the entire article. I think this is something very very important.

First of all, as indicated in the above quote, the "case against summer vacation" is really confined to more low income and disadvantaged situations. The article does NOT try to map it across the board to every single student.

Clearly some parts of the country are way way different stories that our area. The article talks about a school district in Appalachia, inner cities, etc.

But I was thinking...how might this apply to 204? The stunning thing to me in this article is that researchers are saying two thirds of the achievement gap btw low income, to middle income and high income is due to this summer learning loss. Wow....two thirds! The implication is if this could be addressed, you would have a reasonable chance of cutting into a large chunk of the achievement gap.

Now here is where it perked my ears up for us in 204. Is the achievement gap a nationwide problem. Yes it is. Is the achievement gap a 204 problem? Yes it is, on smaller scale. But problem nonetheless, and much discussed recently.

The article talks about impediments to "ending summer vacation". One they identify is 'culture'---the deep traditions and yes big parts of the economy from summer related activies. The answer to this is, this would remain unchanged of course for middle to high income students, the ones who truly participate in this culture. This is the culture we know. But this culture can be non existent for low income kids .

Another impediment for sure is cost. We all know, the schools sure dont have the money. Therefore, alot of these solutions to eliminate the summer learning loss are outside of the school. The article talks about corporate philanthropy (Eli Lilly in Indianapolis). But also good old volunteers. They mention a program run by firefighters (in Indy aslo i think). Then there are the Y's, Boys and Girls clubs etc etc.

I will end with a thought of mine. For 204, could there be some kind of school based, volunteer driven summer learning stuff focusing on the handful of 204 areas where lots of the low income students are? Draw on distict wide resources and volunteers? Are there things like this already happening? Lots to think on here....

Very well thought out response GD. While I agree 204 or most of the othe local SD don't have that significant achievment gap. There are a few that do however (East Aurora, and Chicago come to mind)
I also agree the cultural impediments are the greatest obstacles, most notably with the mid to high income groups. But IMO this is something they should look at as being for the greater good of those not as well off as they are. In order to properly work, it would need to be a national effort.

[gatordog]

An article from the NY Times. Related to the summer 'slide'.


August 2, 2010, 5:28 pm
Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Stuart Bradford

Has your child cracked a book this summer?

Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.

But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a “summer slide” in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.

Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs — and allowing them to choose books that most interested them — had a significant effect on the summer reading gap.

The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test stores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. Most of the children were poor enough to receive discounted or free school lunches.

The researchers wanted to study whether providing books to young children during the summer would affect school performance over the years. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring, where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles.

A variety of books were offered, ranging from those about celebrities like Britney Spears and “The Rock” to stories of fictional characters like the spunky troublemaker Junie B. Jones. Children could also select from culturally relevant books featuring African-American characters, as well as from books in Spanish.

The children chose 12 books. The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren’t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.

The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.

Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The effect, 1/16th of a standard deviation in test scores, was equivalent to a child attending three years of summer school, according to the report to be published in September in the journal Reading Psychology. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study.

The findings come as many school districts are considering slashing summer programs to save money, according to a recent survey by the American Association of School Administrators. The study showed that providing free books, for a cost of about $50 per child, is a much more affordable way for schools to spur summer learning, said a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren’t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.

Surprisingly, the most popular book during the first year of the Florida study was a biography of Britney Spears.

“What that said to me was that there is a kid culture and a media culture that transcends what we think kids should be reading,” Dr. McGill-Franzen said. “I don’t think the majority of these kids ever read during the summer, but given the opportunity to select their own books and discuss what they knew about, ‘The Rock’ or Hannah Montana or Junie B. Jones was, in itself, motivating to them.”

Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute and author of a new book about how children learn, “Mind in the Making,” said she hoped that the findings would encourage parents and teachers to allow children to select their own reading material.

“A child’s interests are a door into the room of reading,” said Ms. Galinsky, who said her own son turned away from books during grade school. Because he liked music, she encouraged him to read music magazines or books about musicians. Her son later regained an interest in reading and has a Ph.D.

“If your child is turned off by reading, getting them to read anything is better than nothing,” she said.

But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.

At a bookstore recently, Dr. McGill-Franzen said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.

“If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter,” Dr. McGill-Franzen said. “Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids’ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children’s choices in books.”

[title1parent]

Yes, I am one of those mothers who would have said, "read something about this historical figure." Well, not totally true.

I have no problem letting kids read what they want, however, sometimes kids don't challenge themselves in regards to their reading level. That is where the parent has to monitor things.

Sorry, Britney Spears and Hannah Montana wouldnt be allowed in this household.

[title1parent]

www.suntimes.com/news/education/2571686,CST-NWS-yearround06.article

Five Chicago schools starting year-round classes
Former CTU chief says it will be a 'disaster'

August 6, 2010

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter [e-mail]
Starting Monday, for the first time, five Chicago neighborhood high schools will begin "year-round" classes -- a move some hail and others predict could explode in "disaster."

Morgan Park High School junior Bria Watson is gradually warming to the idea of starting school a month earlier than some of her friends, giving her only a two-month summer vacation.

But she'll get a new two-week break starting in late September, an extra week off around Christmas and an extra week off during spring break in an attempt to reduce summer learning loss.

"We'll see if it's a good idea," said Bria, 15. "I think we will spend less time reviewing and more time learning new things."

Bria's mother, however, is fully on board. "I think having that shorter time off is helpful," said Donjae Watson.

But Gage Park High School teacher Debbie Lynch expects a tough kickoff in high schools, given predictions of 90-degree heat next week, no air conditioning in some high schools -- including Gage Park and Morgan Park, and the last-minute scramble to deal with high school class sizes that will soar to 35 kids due to budget cuts.

"It's going to be a disaster," said Lynch, former president of the Chicago Teachers Union.

At Gage Park, "By the time you get to the third floor, it's an oven," she said. "You're going to have hot kids crammed into classes, in many cases without enough desks.''

While scores of Chicago public elementary schools have featured year-round classes in recent years, Gage Park and Morgan Park are among five neighborhood high schools starting them for the first time this year. The others are Corliss, Robeson and Tilden.

Also going year-round are the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, a magnet school; Peace and Justice alternative high school; Team Englewood, which picks kids by lottery, and Vaughn Occupational, a special education high school. All together, 63 CPS schools will start year-round calendars Monday.

In 2008, elite Lindblom Math & Science Academy, which handpicks kids in part based on tests, blazed the trail as the first CPS high school to go year-round. Principal Alan Mather thinks the move is one reason Lindblom's freshmen on-track-to-graduate rate, honor roll and grades are up.

"At Lindblom, where all the courses are honors and Advanced Placement, it's pretty intense," Mather said. "We noticed that in the traditional schedule, people started running down at the end of the year and this allows them an opportunity to recharge."

Although some initially voiced concern that teens might lose out on summer job opportunities, Mather said the earlier Christmas break has given kids a leg up on holiday jobs. An "unforeseen benefit" has been that seniors have used their fall break to get a head start on college applications.

Two California studies of year-round high schools show some positive impact on test scores, said psychology professor Harris Cooper of Duke University. Other studies indicate year-round classes have a "noticeable positive effect" on low-income elementary-age kids who tend to suffer more summer learning loss than their more affluent peers, Cooper said.

Year-round classes also provide teenagers with "the safety and security of a school environment during the traditional hot days of summer," said CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond. Fans will be provided in schools without air conditioning, she said.