Extended School Year Approved for 2 MoCo Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

An extended school year will give FARMS kids 20 more school days of free breakfast and lunch. Maryland has sites for summer meals but no transportation so this is a huge bonus of an extended school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An extended school year will give FARMS kids 20 more school days of free breakfast and lunch. Maryland has sites for summer meals but no transportation so this is a huge bonus of an extended school day.

Sorry...should be extended school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boo, what about kids who visit the other parent for the summer.

Your kid's special circumstances shouldn't keep other kids from learning, particularly ones from Title 1 schools who don't have the opportunity for fancy summer camps and spend the summer sitting home.

Nor should a child - who's, sadly, facing obstacles- shape my own child's summer. We preach about differentiation all the time. In this case, this extended year is a "one size fits all" structure.

I left the county after close to 25 years b/c I couldn't stand the hypocrisy. I wanted no part of this mess as both an educator and a teacher. While money talks (Note the resources in the W clusters,), allocating funding to high-needs schools should be done in a smart way. This is not a smart decision, as it penalizes kids who don't need the extra supports and determines the summer calendar for families. So you're either in or out, which creates a headache for those wishing to transfer.

Until you start working WITH the community to strengthen a school, dipping in here and there with a band aid approach will lead to nowhere - and fast.

[Anonymous]

sorry
as both an educator and PARENT

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boo, what about kids who visit the other parent for the summer.

Your kid's special circumstances shouldn't keep other kids from learning, particularly ones from Title 1 schools who don't have the opportunity for fancy summer camps and spend the summer sitting home.

Nor should a child - who's, sadly, facing obstacles- shape my own child's summer. We preach about differentiation all the time. In this case, this extended year is a "one size fits all" structure.

I left the county after close to 25 years b/c I couldn't stand the hypocrisy. I wanted no part of this mess as both an educator and a teacher. While money talks (Note the resources in the W clusters,), allocating funding to high-needs schools should be done in a smart way. This is not a smart decision, as it penalizes kids who don't need the extra supports and determines the summer calendar for families. So you're either in or out, which creates a headache for those wishing to transfer.

Until you start working WITH the community to strengthen a school, dipping in here and there with a band aid approach will lead to nowhere - and fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?

I know a few but I obviously can't speak for them.

But think about it this way. Teachers have kids, too, and whether or not we like to admit it, summers spent with our own children is perk. So why a teacher WITH kids opt into this extended summer learning? Why would a teacher PAY for childcare in order to work an extended year?

So you'll end up with childless teachers - probably young, somewhat inexperienced and in need of money - opting in.

I guess we forget that teachers have families, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a former DCPS teacher whose school was extended year. Many of the parents were grateful for the extend year because it afforded their children a safe place during the summer. But other parents in the title one school who were equally socio-economically depressed felt that it was too much schooling and wished that the extended days were camps with opportunities like coding, crafts, etc. When we dissected the data at the end of the year, there was virtually no change. As a previous poster mentioned. I think many school districts are trying to be innovative and grapple with the gap of its minority and/or poor students. However, it still shows that one cannot replace a good family unit with policy and government. I wish I could post the data here for people to see but I’d be breaking privacy laws.

Too bad you can't post any data on the results. Other schools have made their data public and posted gains for economically disadvantaged students and ELL students.

https://scholars.org/brief/many-benefits-more-time-school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?

I know a few but I obviously can't speak for them.

But think about it this way. Teachers have kids, too, and whether or not we like to admit it, summers spent with our own children is perk. So why a teacher WITH kids opt into this extended summer learning? Why would a teacher PAY for childcare in order to work an extended year?

So you'll end up with childless teachers - probably young, somewhat inexperienced and in need of money - opting in.

I guess we forget that teachers have families, too.

Many of the teachers I spoke to at my child's elementary school have some sort of summer gig (teaching at a summer camp or summer tutoring program or working at a family business.) Teachers are compensated for the additional time worked. For many, getting paid for 30 extra work days is a big plus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a former DCPS teacher whose school was extended year. Many of the parents were grateful for the extend year because it afforded their children a safe place during the summer. But other parents in the title one school who were equally socio-economically depressed felt that it was too much schooling and wished that the extended days were camps with opportunities like coding, crafts, etc. When we dissected the data at the end of the year, there was virtually no change. As a previous poster mentioned. I think many school districts are trying to be innovative and grapple with the gap of its minority and/or poor students. However, it still shows that one cannot replace a good family unit with policy and government. I wish I could post the data here for people to see but I’d be breaking privacy laws.

Too bad you can't post any data on the results. Other schools have made their data public and posted gains for economically disadvantaged students and ELL students.

https://scholars.org/brief/many-benefits-more-time-school

I did a cursory examination of the article on the .org site (remember that orgs have their own slants) and found no reference to longitudinal studies following the kids through middle and high school.

great that there are results - However, how much would it take to replicate these structures at every low-performing middle and high school? probably lots and lots and lots of money that would increase taxes and make parents very angry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I did a cursory examination of the article on the .org site (remember that orgs have their own slants) and found no reference to longitudinal studies following the kids through middle and high school.

great that there are results - However, how much would it take to replicate these structures at every low-performing middle and high school? probably lots and lots and lots of money that would increase taxes and make parents very angry

"We shouldn't do it at a few schools because we can't do it at all schools because it would cost more money than people are willing to pay" is not a good argument against doing it, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a former DCPS teacher whose school was extended year. Many of the parents were grateful for the extend year because it afforded their children a safe place during the summer. But other parents in the title one school who were equally socio-economically depressed felt that it was too much schooling and wished that the extended days were camps with opportunities like coding, crafts, etc. When we dissected the data at the end of the year, there was virtually no change. As a previous poster mentioned. I think many school districts are trying to be innovative and grapple with the gap of its minority and/or poor students. However, it still shows that one cannot replace a good family unit with policy and government. I wish I could post the data here for people to see but I’d be breaking privacy laws.

Too bad you can't post any data on the results. Other schools have made their data public and posted gains for economically disadvantaged students and ELL students.

https://scholars.org/brief/many-benefits-more-time-school

I did a cursory examination of the article on the .org site (remember that orgs have their own slants) and found no reference to longitudinal studies following the kids through middle and high school.

great that there are results - However, how much would it take to replicate these structures at every low-performing middle and high school? probably lots and lots and lots of money that would increase taxes and make parents very angry

Sure, and you’re welcome to post your own data, but speaking anecdotally and anonymously makes it impossible to determine anyone’s “slant”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?

I know a few but I obviously can't speak for them.

But think about it this way. Teachers have kids, too, and whether or not we like to admit it, summers spent with our own children is perk. So why a teacher WITH kids opt into this extended summer learning? Why would a teacher PAY for childcare in order to work an extended year?

So you'll end up with childless teachers - probably young, somewhat inexperienced and in need of money - opting in.

I guess we forget that teachers have families, too.

Many of the teachers I spoke to at my child's elementary school have some sort of summer gig (teaching at a summer camp or summer tutoring program or working at a family business.) Teachers are compensated for the additional time worked. For many, getting paid for 30 extra work days is a big plus.

married with children of their own? or single with kids? Again, I ask, "Who's watching their kids while they're working?" b/c childcare ain't cheap

And I do know that they're being paid; that's a given. But unless the money I made was more than enough to 1) cover childcare and 2) earn me a bit of a profit, I would opt to transfer out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?

I was on a committee last year that dealt with this idea in an indirect way and word was that the teachers in these two schools won't be paid their hourly/daily rate for the extra school days. It will be in some form of a stipend which comes out to be less than their hourly/daily rate. Many of the teachers at those two schools tried to transfer when that info came out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I did a cursory examination of the article on the .org site (remember that orgs have their own slants) and found no reference to longitudinal studies following the kids through middle and high school.

great that there are results - However, how much would it take to replicate these structures at every low-performing middle and high school? probably lots and lots and lots of money that would increase taxes and make parents very angry

"We shouldn't do it at a few schools because we can't do it at all schools because it would cost more money than people are willing to pay" is not a good argument against doing it, in my opinion.

I've been in education for longer than many of you have been around. This is NOT the way to close the gap.

never has been, never will be

Superficial steps don't create long-lasting results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

married with children of their own? or single with kids? Again, I ask, "Who's watching their kids while they're working?" b/c childcare ain't cheap

And I do know that they're being paid; that's a given. But unless the money I made was more than enough to 1) cover childcare and 2) earn me a bit of a profit, I would opt to transfer out.

That goes for all paid employment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any MCPS teachers who are at one of these schools that will become an extended year? Can you share how it’s supoosed to work? Will you be fairly compensated?

I know a few but I obviously can't speak for them.

But think about it this way. Teachers have kids, too, and whether or not we like to admit it, summers spent with our own children is perk. So why a teacher WITH kids opt into this extended summer learning? Why would a teacher PAY for childcare in order to work an extended year?

So you'll end up with childless teachers - probably young, somewhat inexperienced and in need of money - opting in.

I guess we forget that teachers have families, too.

Many of the teachers I spoke to at my child's elementary school have some sort of summer gig (teaching at a summer camp or summer tutoring program or working at a family business.) Teachers are compensated for the additional time worked. For many, getting paid for 30 extra work days is a big plus.

married with children of their own? or single with kids? Again, I ask, "Who's watching their kids while they're working?" b/c childcare ain't cheap

And I do know that they're being paid; that's a given. But unless the money I made was more than enough to 1) cover childcare and 2) earn me a bit of a profit, I would opt to transfer out.

Not every teacher has your situation with kids who need care over the summer. No one is forcing you to do anything. But for many teachers, the chance to earn more income in a stable job would be great.