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There are currently 2 responses to “Extending school not simple”

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1. 1 On December 5th, 2007, Victoria said:

   Maybe something to think about is the way that the schools, until high school, are a one size fits all model. Instead of trying to find money and teacher time to expand school time for every student, why not expand time for students who need it? Our school system is so adverse to separating students based on the speed at which they learn and how much individual attention they need. What we end up with are students who learn very quickly and sit around bored, nothing to do in class, and eventually cause a disruption. On the other end you have students who have more difficulty learning, can’t keep up when the teacher moves on, and eventually cause a disruption. The law forces the schools to accomodate some students with learning difficulties through the IEP. There is nothing for students who learn quickly and much of their time gets wasted. For those students, why entend their day? Why not teach the kids according to their speed at which they can absorb new concepts with a greater student/teacher ratio and give more time to students with a slower learning style who need a smaller teacher/student ratio?

   Also, my son has a substitute teacher at what seems like once a week or more. He basically learns nothing in class when that happens. Why not do a study on how often students get substitutes and how that impacts their learning. As a parent, I feel like I have the right to know every day when a sub comes in, because it has such a direct impact on my child. We all know that if a student has poor attendance, they will not be able to learn. Have we ever talked about the impact of a teacher’s poor attendance on students?
   If we are trying to maximize learning in the most efficient manner, then all parts of the equation need to be studied. I don’t believe the schools are looking at the negative impact of 1) keeping kids together in classrooms regardless of the speed at which they learn or need for personal teacher attention and 2) teacher absences on student learning.
   There are probably more variables that could be studied as well before we go straight to an expanded day that costs more money.

2. 2 On December 5th, 2007, Jackie said:

   You make several good points about meeting student needs which is why looking at an extended day format is more complicated than simply adding another hour or two to the school day. With the recent implementation of interventions in math and literacy over the last two years, we are closer to .meeting kids where they are and challenging them to go further. (I also agree, we are not there yet. The old way, which was tracking, had its own set of issues and appears repugnant to many education leaders today although it seems more efficient. An ideal approach, although it may not be feasible, is a combo of the two that allows kids the benefits of mixed groupings and also provides time for skill-level instruction as well as upward movement as achievement improves.) In terms of teacher absenteeism, we have been tracking that for several years now, and the administration has been working with the union to develop a fair evaluation process for teachers that includes absenteeism and much more information about teacher performance overall. It is, however, a painfully slow process.