Most of us went to school on the traditional school schedule, where the months June, July, and August were taken off, while the rest of the year, school was in session. It is what we know, and what most people are expecting. About 10-15 years ago there was a push for elementary schools to go into a year round school schedule. There was the same number of days both for students and for teachers when compared to the traditional schedule, but stretched out over the entire 12 months. My wife taught on this schedule for many years and enjoyed it very much. She thought that she recharged and was ready to go back each time. She also thought her students did the same. I cannot remember the rationale behind doing away with the year round schedules, but there are currently no schools in Washington Country still using them. There is a third type of schedule called modified traditional. With a modified traditional schedule, a week or more is taken off after each term, holidays are usually extended, and the summer is much shorter. If it were up to me I would put the modified traditional schedule in place for a couple of reasons. First of all, I think it would cut down on student absences. In my 17 years of teaching I think dealing with students being gone and trying to catch them up is my biggest gripe. Almost all of my "D" and "F" students have one thing in common; a high absent rate. A big reason students get good grades comes from actually being in class. Students miss school for a lot of reasons besides being sick (there will always be sickness no matter what the schedule is). Families going on vacation is always a big one, but also activities, family emergencies, and just not wanting to show up to school. I believe there are enough open days throughout the year that most of these things should be taken care of during these open days. I would be interested to see if there is a study out there that shows what happens to the truancy rate when schools go to a modified or year round school schedule. I would bet this rate would decline with more students attending class. I think another positive thing about the modified school schedule is that there is time to take a break, recharge, and come back with a better attitude.
Shaun,
ReplyDeleteI have to ask the same question with you. My district went to year round school to house the over crowded elementary schools. The students and parents didn't like it much, but it probably did help students retain knowledge. I hope someone responds with a study and information about school scheduling. My district doew the modified schedule now. We have a longer winter break and a full spring break. I hope it's better for the students. It seems to be good for the teachers.
Shaun,
ReplyDeleteWe have a major problem with absences down here at Monument Valley High School as well. Many of the parents allow their students to be gone for what most would consider trivial reasons. Another big part of it is that when students are gone for an extended period of time in most districts the state can technically get involved. We are in San Juan District, but the school is on an island of state land on the Navajo Reservation. So when it comes to truancy the Navajo Tribe does not take much action. Now, I don’t know if it is lack of funds or resources, or if there is some other reason, but I do know that it is not uncommon for a student to be gone 20-30% of the quarter. Well, when a student is gone that much he or she has a hard time catching up, which generally means a lower grade. It’s a frustration since there’s not much we (teachers and administrators) can do about the situation. I think a modified traditional schedule would help down here, but mostly I think it will just take time for parents to take education more seriously. I’ve been here only a few years, but from what I’ve been told the situation has improved and most parents take education more seriously now than they used to. So I guess I should be thankful for that at least. Thanks for the post.
Devon Gosney