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EDA 601: District Level Leadership and Management

Marysol Santiago

Marc Williams

Major Issues in Education

May 2008

Imagine sitting down for dessert: one whole pie. You know you can eat the whole thing, but you’re not just going to pick up the whole pie and start eating it like a sandwich. That would be crazy! So you decide that you are going to cut it into slices. But how big or small will each slice be? Will all the slices be cut into equal sizes? Well before you start cutting those slices, just be aware of all the people now sitting around the table who want to share that pie. At the table are adults, children, co-workers, family, friends, each with different appetites, but all wanting a piece of the pie. How do you slice the pie now so that everyone is adequately fed and satisfied? This image is actually an analogy for a controversial option about how to schedule the school calendar year. We can maintain the status quo and continue the 10-month school year with the two-month summer vacation and the traditional days off during the year. This model was established when the United States was still a largely agrarian nation, [in which] children were often needed to work in the fields during the summer months (Kelly). Or, we can make a change and move to a year-round school model in which we alternate attending school for 45 straight days and then taking a 15-day breaks. This model was introduced when studies showed American students not scoring well on national and international tests (MacNeil-Lehre). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The decision of which model to follow needs to be based on several factors: academic achievement rates, budget and costs, and the impact on the school community, including teachers, students, and families. In the next couple of pages, we will investigate the initiative for implementing each model, share the pros and cons of each model, and provide a recommendation for all districts.

Freedom isn't free! President Thomas Jefferson was correct when he said, "that a country that expects to be ignorant and free in a democracy expects something that never was and never will be."

The fact that American children suffer from a deprivation of instructional time is clearly evident in our “declining achievement test scores in comparison to international students” (Winters). “The typical American school year ranges between 175 and 180 days. Internationally, the school year ranges from 210 to 250 days. The typical American school day consumes between 6-1/2 and 7 hours. Internationally, 8 or 9 hour days are the norm” (Myer). Amplifying the problem is the fact that American schools typically spend a smaller percentage of the limited time available to them on core academics than their international counterparts.

“The facts are abundantly clear; American students and teachers must be provided with additional instructional time” (Byoles). The solution, for many communities, is the restructuring of our typical 180 day school calendar currently in use. We have “five of the largest states” (California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, & Georgia), which are already “using the year round balanced calendar model” (NAYRE). A modification in our traditional calendar is fiscally possible because the additional instructional days built into the calendar of rearranged in the 45- 15 split used to target the students that most need the additional instructional time.

In a longitude study of numerous year round schools by John Stenvall, PH. D, 2000, came to this conclusion; it showed that there was greater progress in schools with certain year round calendars than in those on traditional calendars (Palmer). He also said, “Schools on balanced calendars outperformed gains recorded for traditional school calendars at all levels.” This researched highlight the benefits of a balance calendar in comparison to the traditional school calendar, which are listed below.

Understanding / Awareness of the Benefits of YRS

• Less time spent re-teaching concepts students forgot over the summer.

• Less time spent in re-orienting students after breaks.

• Vacation weeks used as extended learning time for students who needed extra time and support.

• Reduced discipline problems.

• Gains in addressing achievement gaps. ELL and LD students benefit from shorter breaks.

• Opportunities for professional development activities during the off weeks of the school year. This would reduce the cost of subs when teachers are normally taken out of the class for training.

• Unique learning experiences, field trips, enrichment programs and training for students and staff. Mini courses for students for advance credit or for teachers needing license requirements. A time for vocational counseling and career exploration.

• Reshaping the school culture and climax to a positive atmosphere of productive learning and accountability

In conclusion, “great leaders are defined by the difficult decisions they are force to make” (Fullan), and I will be one of them. Will you? If for some odd reason your mind has doubts, and is unwilling to believe the results of educational research, then listen to those dedicated professionals currently teaching in these year round school producing results. As stated by the late Dr. Edward Deming an exceptional education leader use to say, “Lets speak and act with one voice” to ensuring that more time is made available for our future leaders and devoted educators. Therefore, let’s start now by converting form our traditional calendar to the balanced school calendar; by re-organize our 180 day academic school year, for optimal learning rather than continue in a system of continued dreadful results and declining academic achievement.

Not matter how you slice the pie, it’s still a pie. I say that because it is very important to point out that year-round schooling includes the same 180 days as the traditional school year. Most supporters of the year-round system like to draw comparisons to the success year-round education system in places like Japan. However, they leave out that the “students in most other industrial countries are in school more hours a day and more days a year” (). And so, year-round schooling is not an extension, but rather just a reorganization of the school-year.

Nevertheless, the intention of YRS to increase student achievement is good. However, as far as achievement and academic benefits go, the results are mixed, inconclusive, and contradictory (Gisler and Eberts). A 2001 study by Bradley McMillan, from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which used data from 345,000 public school students, found that achievement in year-round schools was no higher than in traditional schools. In a similar study, J.M Ferguson also found no significant difference between the two groups. And what little improvements that were achieved should be interpreted with caution because many YRS schools added instructional days to the calendar (Gandara and Fish). Many YRS supporters would have people believe that achievement rates have increased because without a long summer vacation, students forget less information. But that’s a faulty argument because as A.C. Woodward stated, there is a substantial loss of retention within even an hour of instruction. It’s the use of teaching strategies by capable teachers that can decrease short-term learning loss regardless of the calendar. According to the National Edcational Commission, there is no direct correlation between time and learning. A year-round calendar is nothing but a quick fix that only appears to fix the problem of failing to meet state and national academic goals. According to teachers at Hollywood High School, which is a year-round school, teachers skipped pages of material, assigned less homework, and gave fewer tests because of the schedule. Furthermore, many teachers admitted that their students were not getting a first-class education. One teacher even confessed that after returning from each short break, he always had to wait for books because “the school took several days to collect and tally textbooks from students” who had just gone on break. Officials had little time to redistribute materials (Helfand). These details lead me to believe that this is why nearly half of the districts in Texas that had adopted the year-round calendar switched back. “School officials said the program did not improve academic performance substantially, and they were unable to win the cooperation of parents; it was simply too hard to fight tradition” (MacNeil-Lehrer).

There actually seems to be a combination of uncooperative parents, teachers, and students. Year-round schooling is very inconvenient. It’s inconvenient for parents. If an entire district does not go year-round, then parents who have children in both a YRS and a traditional school will find it difficult to plan for childcare and vacations. Even two YRS schools may follow two different schedules. The 45-15 schedule is only one option. There’s a 60-20 plan, and even a 90-30 plan. It’s inconvenient fort teachers. Richard Vale, a teacher at James Rutter Middle School in California said that “almost everything had to be done twice: open house, school pictures, state testing, everything” (Chaika). Becky Hitt, a teacher at Imperial Beach Elementary School in California, said that everytime teachers returned, they needed to set up again. And when [a teacher] was on a track that ended in August, and the new school year began just a few days later, and [the teacher had] a new subject or a new grade level, there was no time to prepare,” (Chaika). YRS supporters claim that the frequent, shorter breaks allow struggling students extra time for remedial help. But if that occurs during the breaks, then teachers are needed to work during the break. So when do they get a break? Teacher and administrator burnout is a rampart occurrence in year-round schools. In multi-track YRS systems, there are usually only two weeks per year, as opposed to two months, when there are no students in school (Carter). And let’s remember, many teachers are parents too. Teachers who are on a different track than their children will have difficulty with childcare and family vacations too. Finally, it’s inconvenient for students. It becomes virtually impossible for students to participate in summer programs, like camp, or summer employment. During the school sessions, co-curricular, music, and athletic programs are jeopardized, unless ALL participants are on the same YRS track. Robin Carter, who studied year-round schooling at the University of Alabama, stated that many of his high school friends disliked the idea of YRS, citing summer jobs, summer camps, spring training for various sports as things they would miss out on if a year-round program was implemented at their school. “Many teenagers can’t get critical summer internships and jobs that look good on college applications because they are in school,” (Helfand). Furthermore, as stated by a high school senior at Hollywood High School, “the aspiring high school teacher began her eight-week vacation in late October, right in the middle of college application season.” Summer Matters believes that the traditional calendar is the best. Summer Matters contends that year-round schooling is disruptive to family life, provides little or no academic benefit, and impedes different kinds of learning that children often experience on their summer breaks (National Education Commission on Time and Learning).

Considering the damage that YRS systems cause, it’s finally important to looks at economy. Schools need air conditioning on hot days. Schools in Los Angeles returned to a traditional calendar after three years due to unbearable summer temperatures (Carter). Employees need to be paid for extra time. While some feel it’s a waste of money to only use a school building for only a part of the year, they neglect to see the problems that arise from not shutting down the building for a considerable amount of time. “Because the classrooms were always used, maintenance was affected,” Chaika). “Additional costs in the form of extra staff, increased operating costs, maintenance downtime, increased teacher salaries, building upgrades, and additional transportation have all been reported by school systems that originally adopted YRS in hopes of saving money (Agron, Burgoyne, and Wildman). Robin Carter contends that schools that wish to change the calendar are primarily doing it for financial considerations. And Melissa Kelly warns that schools that are making these decisions based solely on funding are setting up the system for failure.

Those who support year-round schooling claim that it increases academic achievement, that it addresses overcrowding, and that it saves money. But all of this is unfounded, especially under the multi-track system. Now, there might be some merit in the single track system, in which all schools follow the same year-round calendar, but while that plan has slightly but still unsubstantial academic results, it does not solve the overcrowding problem and it costs more money. Year-round schooling is a quick fix that prompts the opposition to question the motivation behind a district’s choice to change the current calendar.

Most people think that “year-round schooling” means no more summer vacations. But is that all that it the concept embodies? It could be a reform to increase student learning. Or it could be an attempt to use a band-aid to fix the problems with education. Either way, year-round education is a complex issue with many advantages and disadvantages. Many schools have tried it and have succeeded. Others have tried it and reverted back to the traditional calendar. We propose the following solution for any district considering year-round education: year-round schooling should only be offered on the elementary level. All of those elementary schools school should follow a single-track system. Since older students are concerned about summer opportunities and other activities that complicate their schedules, and because radical changes can complicate their lives, middle and high school students should follow the traditional calendar. “If you could decide your school’s schedule, would you consider family traditions, cost-effectiveness, or academic performance?” (MacNeil-Lehrer). It all goes back to that pie. Yes, a pie is pie no matter how you eat it, but it’s how you slice the pie that determines how everyone will enjoy the pie.

Bibliography

1. Carter, Robin Lockett. “Year-Round School: Not the Solution for Failing Schools”. Educator as an Evaluator. Huntsville, Alabama: University of Alabama, 1999.

2. Lehrer, Jim. “Going to School Year-Round”. NewsHour Extra. MacNeil-Lehrer Productions. 2001.

3. Kelly, Melissa. “Year Round Education”. : Secondary Education. http//:712educators.cs/reformtime/a/yearrounded.html. 2008.

4. Abercrombie, Shena. “Time in school being extended this year; some still deciding if it should be by minutes or days”. The Flint Journal. Lapeer, Michigan: . 2008.

5. DeForge, Jeanette. “Parents support extended school day”. The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. . 2008.

6. “Extended school hours”. . http//:FN/ForumBriefs. 2004.

7. “A Longer School Day?”. American Thinker. http//:. 2007.

8. “Year-Round Schooling”. . http//:rc/issues/year-round-schooling. 2004.

9. Gisler, Peggy, and Marge Eberts. “Year-Round School”. Family Education. http//:school.experimental-education. 2008.

10. “Debating Year-Round Education”. Voice of America. http//:. 2007.

11. “Is Year-Round Schooling the Answer?” Education World. http//:a-admin. 2008.

12. Helfand, Duke. “Year-Round Discontent at Hollywood High”. L.A. Times. Hollywood, California. 2000.

13. Boyles, B. 1993. Year round education: Implementing the first two years in the elementary grades. Doctoral Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1993. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54, 2811.

14. Imperial, Chance T., 2005. Year-Round School. Teen INK, The Young Authors Foundation, Inc.

15. Fullan, Michael. (2001). Leading In A Culture Of Change. Jossey Bass, John Wiley & Sons, Inc

16. Winters, W.L. 1995. A review of recent studies relating to the achievement of students enrolled in year-round education programs. San Diego, CA: National Association for Year-Round Education.

17. Myer Bob, 2007. A Longer School Day) Article

18. (Elisabeth Palmer)

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MAJOR ISSUES IN EDUCATION:

YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLING

MARYSOL SANTIAGO

MARC WILLIAMS

EDA 601:

DISTRICT LEVEL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

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