Perfect School Year

extended school hours?

hell, the kids check out mentally not too soon after lunch.

provided, of course, they ever checked in mentally........
 
After Labor Day to 2 weeks after Memorial Day?
All year with intermittent weekly breaks?

What do you think is the "perfect" School Year Schedule?

6 weeks on 1 week off all year long

On second thought make it 12 weeks on 2 weeks off all year long
 
After Labor Day to 2 weeks after Memorial Day?
All year with intermittent weekly breaks?

What do you think is the "perfect" School Year Schedule?

Year Round. 3 weeks off in late July to mid-August. 1 week off at the end of the calendar year. 2 other weeks off distributed throughout the year.

Monday-Friday 8am-5pm schedule with a half hour lunch break each day.
 
Go all year long with, say, 8 weeks altogether off, some for Christmas break, some for other holidays. Then maybe we can actually start to compete on a global scale in education.
Maybe we could actually have more literate graduates who are prepared for college, or better yet have already taken college courses so they can reduce the time they need to go to college, saving parents and students money.
 
Go all year long with, say, 8 weeks altogether off, some for Christmas break, some for other holidays. Then maybe we can actually start to compete on a global scale in education....

The length of the school year isn't the problem there, and it isn't the answer either.
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. Convert all schools to year round with three semesters per year, eliminating the long summer "break" and replacing it with 3 shorter "breaks" between semesters for students.

During these "breaks" students identified as needing extra instruction would attend remedial programs to bring them up to speed.

Convert Teachers to 12 Month Employees:

With the change to the year round model, teachers would become 12-month employees just like most of the rest of the world. They would accrue vacation days just like most of the rest of the working world and would be required to schedule their vacations just like everyone else. There would be a maximum carry over of 2-years vacation at the beginning of the school year. They would be "encouraged" through policies to schedule vacation days during student breaks and administration would monitor teacher availability to ensure remedial instruction was available during student breaks.

Teachers would teach regular semesters and during the student breaks would be working on curriculum for the next semester, teaching remedial classes, or completing professional development requirements.

Eliminate Extra-curricular Sports Programs as a function of the school.

All after school sports programs would be transferred to the city/county government. Contracting of and employment of coaches would not be a function of the school. Sports programs would be allowed to use school resources (playing fields, showers, etc...) but would be required to supply their own equipment (Uniforms, Footballs, Pads, helmets, etc...) Financing sports would be broken out of the school budget and would be the responsibility of the local government entity.

School Hours

School schedules will be designed around maximizing learning in the classroom. For example studies show that high schooler's learn better with later start times due to the fact they stay up later then younger students. Yet often having them out at the bus stop at 06:30 so schools can provide time for after school sports through early dismissal by 13:00-14:00.

Instructional Days:

Many schools only have students on campus for 180 instructional days and then some of those days are taken up with required testing (ASVAB, SAT/ACT, State Proficiency, etc...). Schedules would be returned to 200 standard student days to increase the actual instruction time.

Those are just a few off the top of my head. Ya'll can throw eggs now.

>>>>
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.
 
School Hours

School schedules will be designed around maximizing learning in the classroom. For example studies show that high schooler's learn better with later start times due to the fact they stay up later then younger students. Yet often having them out at the bus stop at 06:30 so schools can provide time for after school sports through early dismissal by 13:00-14:00.

>>>>


Having busloads of kids stuck in rush hour traffic would work out almost as well as having them run over in large numbers while waiting at bus stops when traffic is at its peak.

Changing hours would change all sorts of day care scheduling considerations, creating more headaches for more families.

Many families depend on the money kids earn in after-school jobs to survive. Unfortunate, but true.

School sports are an important aspect of education.
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.

Not the schools problem. The number one directive of the school is to educate children. Adjusting school days so that kids have summers off isn't in that directive.

Convert Teachers to 12 Month Employees:>

They already are.

Ahhh, no they are not.

I work in HR in a school system. I'm a 12-month employee and work 250 days a year. Teachers are 10-month employees contracted for 200 days per year of which 180 days are instructoinal days with students present. As a 12-month employee I accrue vacation time to cover periods when I'm not at work. 10-Month employees do not accrue vacation time since they are off during the summer. Both of us accrue sick time to cover illnesses.

Eliminate Extra-curricular Sports Programs as a function of the school.>


Not going to happen, shouldn't happen.

You are probably correct, but that doesn't change my opinion that sport activities should be transferred to the local community entity (country or city) to be run through parks and recreation instead of through the education system.

Not saying such programs should be eliminated, just transferred to the appropriate government entity.

School Hours

School schedules will be designed around maximizing learning in the classroom. For example studies show that high schooler's learn better with later start times due to the fact they stay up later then younger students. Yet often having them out at the bus stop at 06:30 so schools can provide time for after school sports through early dismissal by 13:00-14:00.

>>>>


Having busloads of kids stuck in rush hour traffic would work out almost as well as having them run over in large numbers while waiting at bus stops when traffic is at its peak.

Changing hours would change all sorts of day care scheduling considerations, creating more headaches for more families.

Many families depend on the money kids earn in after-school jobs to survive. Unfortunate, but true.

School sports are an important aspect of education.

Rush hour traffic? Horse hockey, buses are out during "rush hour" anyway. You know that not all students are picked up at the same time correct? Schools have a finite amount of funding, bus drivers and buses are not used for just one run in the morning. Complex schedules exist where elementary schools are scheduled for certain time blocks based on distance, middle schools same, high schools same. Between 06:00-09:00 school buses are constantly out picking up students on different schedules to get them to their building and the same goes for the afternoon "rush hour".

"Day Care" again a strawman for the vast majority of cases. High Schooler's don't typically have "day care" needs because they have aged out of day care centers which normally have kids age out in teh 12-13 year old range. Secondly, every day care center we ever used (my wife and I both work) was open until 6:00 PM and opened by 6:30AM, well past minor adjustments in the school day shifting older students to a slightly later schedule.

"After School Jobs", what you think we're talking running schools from 6:00AM to 8:00PM or something? Shifting school hours to better match the sleep cycle of students means moving high school from 7:00AM to 1:30PM to 8:30AM to 3:00PM, still plenty of time for after school jobs.


>>>>
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.

Not the schools problem.


Yes, the schools' problem. If you're not going to be practical then all this is just mental masturbation.
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.

Not the schools problem.


Yes, the schools' problem. If you're not going to be practical then all this is just mental masturbation.


The suggestions are practical and focus on the primary mission of the school system which is education.

If you want to maintain the status quo and allow things to remain as they are, then that is an opinion you are welcome to maintain.


>>>>
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.

Not the schools problem.


Yes, the schools' problem. If you're not going to be practical then all this is just mental masturbation.


The suggestions are practical and focus on the primary mission of the school system which is education.>


They aren't, and your posting them is just an exercise in self-indulgence. Nothing will be improved that way.
 
Well here are a couple of thoughts, I'm sure to piss some people off...

Schedule:

Get rid of the agrarian model that is no longer needed since we are not an agriculture based society where children are expected to be able to work the farm during the summer months. >


For good or ill, many kids work summer jobs that are important to their college savings and/or essential to their family budgets.

Not the schools problem. The number one directive of the school is to educate children. Adjusting school days so that kids have summers off isn't in that directive.

Convert Teachers to 12 Month Employees:>

They already are.

Ahhh, no they are not.

I work in HR in a school system. I'm a 12-month employee and work 250 days a year. Teachers are 10-month employees contracted for 200 days per year of which 180 days are instructoinal days with students present. As a 12-month employee I accrue vacation time to cover periods when I'm not at work. 10-Month employees do not accrue vacation time since they are off during the summer. Both of us accrue sick time to cover illnesses.

Eliminate Extra-curricular Sports Programs as a function of the school.>


Not going to happen, shouldn't happen.

You are probably correct, but that doesn't change my opinion that sport activities should be transferred to the local community entity (country or city) to be run through parks and recreation instead of through the education system.

Not saying such programs should be eliminated, just transferred to the appropriate government entity.

School Hours

School schedules will be designed around maximizing learning in the classroom. For example studies show that high schooler's learn better with later start times due to the fact they stay up later then younger students. Yet often having them out at the bus stop at 06:30 so schools can provide time for after school sports through early dismissal by 13:00-14:00.

>>>>


Having busloads of kids stuck in rush hour traffic would work out almost as well as having them run over in large numbers while waiting at bus stops when traffic is at its peak.

Changing hours would change all sorts of day care scheduling considerations, creating more headaches for more families.

Many families depend on the money kids earn in after-school jobs to survive. Unfortunate, but true.

School sports are an important aspect of education.

Rush hour traffic? Horse hockey, buses are out during "rush hour" anyway. You know that not all students are picked up at the same time correct? Schools have a finite amount of funding, bus drivers and buses are not used for just one run in the morning. Complex schedules exist where elementary schools are scheduled for certain time blocks based on distance, middle schools same, high schools same. Between 06:00-09:00 school buses are constantly out picking up students on different schedules to get them to their building and the same goes for the afternoon "rush hour".

"Day Care" again a strawman for the vast majority of cases. High Schooler's don't typically have "day care" needs because they have aged out of day care centers which normally have kids age out in teh 12-13 year old range. Secondly, every day care center we ever used (my wife and I both work) was open until 6:00 PM and opened by 6:30AM, well past minor adjustments in the school day shifting older students to a slightly later schedule.

"After School Jobs", what you think we're talking running schools from 6:00AM to 8:00PM or something? Shifting school hours to better match the sleep cycle of students means moving high school from 7:00AM to 1:30PM to 8:30AM to 3:00PM, still plenty of time for after school jobs.


>>>>

1) While teachers are contracted for 199 days (in my district)--that does NOT include a mandatory week of training+trainings/tests I have to do in order to keep my license

2) Teachers have to pay to renew their own licenses, pay for their own tests (I just paid $170 to take a mandatory test to keep my license)

3) Teachers put in more hours than most workers do during the school year (workers with similar qualification, IE: BS/BA degree or higher with 1 full-time job)

4) This summer I had 3 weeks of training to keep my license. I guess that makes me 11 months

5) It sounds to me as if you're jealous that you work year-round and teachers don't. There's a simple solution: become a teacher.

I'm not complaining about my job, I just don't like lies and/or misinformation about it.

As for the after-school activities you're obviously missing the ENTIRE point of them. It's not just to provide students with those opportunities that other entities can--it's designed to create respect and rapport in the school. Students who play sports need to keep a "C" average-or they're off the team. They often have more respect for teachers than those not involved. It creates respect and a sense of community among students that makes their classroom environment MUCH more beneficial, productive, and most importantly educationally productive.

You sound like somebody who hasn't been in a high school classroom since you were 18. That's fine. You work in the HR department of your district--not the classroom. I wont pretend to know the ins and outs of the HR department.....don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the classroom.
 
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