Post by momto4 on Jun 27, 2008 11:43:34 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/1027275,2_4_AU27_SHERMAN_S1.article#
Schools should go year-round
June 27, 2008
Earlier this month, we felt the pinch of paying some higher property taxes. I said I was happy to pay more if it meant more programs and better education for Aurora's kids. I stand by that.
But I also believe there should be accountability when it comes to using our resources efficiently. One way to better utilize our current buildings and decrease overcrowding would be year-round education, or YRE.
I originally liked the idea of YRE because every fall I hear my kids complain about how much they've forgotten, and I hate seeing weeks lost on reviewing old material. But I had only thought about "single-track" YRE, where the usual 180 school days are simply spread out more equally over the calendar year.
Hank Kobulnicky, a former member of the East Aurora School Board and parent of three former students, helped me understand the benefits of "multi-track" YRE for our overcrowded schools. He explained that "it offers the opportunity to continue to house all students, but not at the same time. A 45-15 rotation (nine weeks on, three weeks off) has only 75 percent in classes while 25 percent are having a break. A 60-20 rotation has two-thirds in school while one-third is on break. Fewer, if any, new buildings are needed with a huge savings for the taxpayer."
According to the National Association for Year Round Education, there are 175 high schools and 315 middle schools in this country on a year-round calendar. One of the districts in Illinois with a "balanced calendar" is Riverton, so I picked up the phone and called the principal of Riverton High School, Bill Lamkey.
I couldn't write fast enough to record all the statistics and anecdotes about how YRE has improved education in Riverton. Their primary concern was not overcrowding, but at-risk students. Now they have nine weeks on, then two weeks off. During the two-week breaks, called "intersession," students who are falling behind can come in for half-days during the first week of the break and receive extra instruction. They also use the time to do enrichment activities, such as field trips or special classes like "rocket class," where students learn to calculate distance and altitude.
Teachers can teach during the breaks for an hourly wage. Riverton now graduates a higher percentage of students and has been happy with the program for the past seven years.
Some common concerns are sports and family vacations. With year-round school, sports are played on the usual division schedule, whether school is in session that particular week or not. As for family vacations, alternative schedules usually include four weeks off in the summer. Besides, with multi-week breaks throughout the year, vacations would actually have far more flexibility.
I asked representatives from the East and West Aurora school districts about the idea. Both Marin Gonzalez, East Aurora's secondary programs assistant, and West Aurora Superintendent Jim Rydland said they had not known it to be requested by parents or teachers. Rydland told me that if the district were to consider it, the support of the community, staff and teachers union would be essential.
Having kids home for the entire summer made perfect sense when we were an agrarian society, when kids were needed to help on the family farm. But we live in a different time with different challenges. To meet those challenges, we need to be creative and efficient rather than doing things the way we've always done them. I believe the time has come to consider the benefits of year-round education.
Deena Bess Sherman lives in Aurora. She can be reached at deenasherman@att.net.
Schools should go year-round
June 27, 2008
Earlier this month, we felt the pinch of paying some higher property taxes. I said I was happy to pay more if it meant more programs and better education for Aurora's kids. I stand by that.
But I also believe there should be accountability when it comes to using our resources efficiently. One way to better utilize our current buildings and decrease overcrowding would be year-round education, or YRE.
I originally liked the idea of YRE because every fall I hear my kids complain about how much they've forgotten, and I hate seeing weeks lost on reviewing old material. But I had only thought about "single-track" YRE, where the usual 180 school days are simply spread out more equally over the calendar year.
Hank Kobulnicky, a former member of the East Aurora School Board and parent of three former students, helped me understand the benefits of "multi-track" YRE for our overcrowded schools. He explained that "it offers the opportunity to continue to house all students, but not at the same time. A 45-15 rotation (nine weeks on, three weeks off) has only 75 percent in classes while 25 percent are having a break. A 60-20 rotation has two-thirds in school while one-third is on break. Fewer, if any, new buildings are needed with a huge savings for the taxpayer."
According to the National Association for Year Round Education, there are 175 high schools and 315 middle schools in this country on a year-round calendar. One of the districts in Illinois with a "balanced calendar" is Riverton, so I picked up the phone and called the principal of Riverton High School, Bill Lamkey.
I couldn't write fast enough to record all the statistics and anecdotes about how YRE has improved education in Riverton. Their primary concern was not overcrowding, but at-risk students. Now they have nine weeks on, then two weeks off. During the two-week breaks, called "intersession," students who are falling behind can come in for half-days during the first week of the break and receive extra instruction. They also use the time to do enrichment activities, such as field trips or special classes like "rocket class," where students learn to calculate distance and altitude.
Teachers can teach during the breaks for an hourly wage. Riverton now graduates a higher percentage of students and has been happy with the program for the past seven years.
Some common concerns are sports and family vacations. With year-round school, sports are played on the usual division schedule, whether school is in session that particular week or not. As for family vacations, alternative schedules usually include four weeks off in the summer. Besides, with multi-week breaks throughout the year, vacations would actually have far more flexibility.
I asked representatives from the East and West Aurora school districts about the idea. Both Marin Gonzalez, East Aurora's secondary programs assistant, and West Aurora Superintendent Jim Rydland said they had not known it to be requested by parents or teachers. Rydland told me that if the district were to consider it, the support of the community, staff and teachers union would be essential.
Having kids home for the entire summer made perfect sense when we were an agrarian society, when kids were needed to help on the family farm. But we live in a different time with different challenges. To meet those challenges, we need to be creative and efficient rather than doing things the way we've always done them. I believe the time has come to consider the benefits of year-round education.
Deena Bess Sherman lives in Aurora. She can be reached at deenasherman@att.net.
