Which Schools will have extended school year in 2016-2017?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I REALLY wish it had been my in-bound school (Amidon-Bowen), which had some of the worst PARCC test scores in Ward 6. A 4-week summer break would be enough for my family to travel, do camps, etc. and preventing "summer slump" is a good idea, in my opinion.

One reason I heard the PARCC was so bad was because the kids didn't know how to use computers to take the tests. Hoping those stats go up in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really surprised they could do this without a union vote -

"Davis said Bowser and Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson made their decision without consulting any of the four unions that represent school workers in the District. She said the WTU has submitted a complaint about the process."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/the-school-year-is-about-to-get-longer-for-thousands-of-dc-schoolchildren/2016/02/03/e2de8128-ca29-11e5-88ff-e2d1b4289c2f_story.html

they can't. It will not go forward as planned. This needs to be negotiated directly with WTU.

They can get around that by forcing the teachers into voting for it at the school level. If they get like 75% of teachers to vote yes, they push forward. Teachers are being bullied into voting yes.

DCPS cannot negotiate directly with teachers, WTU is the sole bargaining unit.

That is exactly the problem, DCPS is holding up negotiations so that it can do these things behind WTU's back. Teachers haven't had a contract in 4 years and one of the major sticking points is extended day/year and all that goes with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really surprised they could do this without a union vote -

"Davis said Bowser and Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson made their decision without consulting any of the four unions that represent school workers in the District. She said the WTU has submitted a complaint about the process."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/the-school-year-is-about-to-get-longer-for-thousands-of-dc-schoolchildren/2016/02/03/e2de8128-ca29-11e5-88ff-e2d1b4289c2f_story.html

they can't. It will not go forward as planned. This needs to be negotiated directly with WTU.

They can get around that by forcing the teachers into voting for it at the school level. If they get like 75% of teachers to vote yes, they push forward. Teachers are being bullied into voting yes.

DCPS cannot negotiate directly with teachers, WTU is the sole bargaining unit.

That is exactly the problem, DCPS is holding up negotiations so that it can do these things behind WTU's back. Teachers haven't had a contract in 4 years and one of the major sticking points is extended day/year and all that goes with it.

Which is also why WTU has filed complaints against DCPS for doing EXACTLY THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I REALLY wish it had been my in-bound school (Amidon-Bowen), which had some of the worst PARCC test scores in Ward 6. A 4-week summer break would be enough for my family to travel, do camps, etc. and preventing "summer slump" is a good idea, in my opinion.

One reason I heard the PARCC was so bad was because the kids didn't know how to use computers to take the tests. Hoping those stats go up in the future.

I read the same thing in Education Week. Mostly applied to older children (middle and high school) and math especially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I REALLY wish it had been my in-bound school (Amidon-Bowen), which had some of the worst PARCC test scores in Ward 6. A 4-week summer break would be enough for my family to travel, do camps, etc. and preventing "summer slump" is a good idea, in my opinion.

One reason I heard the PARCC was so bad was because the kids didn't know how to use computers to take the tests. Hoping those stats go up in the future.

I read the same thing in Education Week. Mostly applied to older children (middle and high school) and math especially.

In English it's not using the computers per se that's the issue, but all those years of teaching close reading and annotating the text - now they can't do it. Also, they have to scroll and compare more than one text at a time, not easy. They should provide the text in a hard copy, which the students can mark up and let them input the answers in the computer. I'm in an online college program, but always print out the required texts rather than read the important ones online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am really surprised they could do this without a union vote -

"Davis said Bowser and Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson made their decision without consulting any of the four unions that represent school workers in the District. She said the WTU has submitted a complaint about the process."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/the-school-year-is-about-to-get-longer-for-thousands-of-dc-schoolchildren/2016/02/03/e2de8128-ca29-11e5-88ff-e2d1b4289c2f_story.html

they can't. It will not go forward as planned. This needs to be negotiated directly with WTU.

They can get around that by forcing the teachers into voting for it at the school level. If they get like 75% of teachers to vote yes, they push forward. Teachers are being bullied into voting yes.

How are they being bullied into voting yes?

Not the PP, but I think that there is an element of bullying in announcing that these 10 schools will be doing extended year and then voting on it afterward. If you vote no and the school has to un-announce, then you're complicit in a public relations debacle. Also, these schools wouldn't be part of this pilot without the support of the principal, so if you vote no, you're immediately in opposition to your boss, which in many if not most cases means that they're looking to get rid of you and you're looking to leave.

Well they needed to announce it before the lottery was over - so that any families who were certain they didn't want to attend a school on that schedule would have an opportunity to opt out.

I was surprised to read the comment that half the charters do ESY. Haynes, KIPP - which other ones? Perhaps that why those get the lion's share of private foundation dollars, because it's expensive to do.

Many of the boot camp charters like KIPP do extended day, as much as 2 hours extra per day. It's their main recipe for success. It works but it burns out teachers quickly. Not as many charters do extended year.

these schools are happy to burn out teachers for results. Also some families drop out. And, as has been well documented on DCUM, high SES families avoid these schools so they remain 100 percent poor and focused on achieving results for the poor. I had thought that DCPS was pursuing a more balanced set of goals including SES diversity in EOTP schools. This extended year initiative suggests to me that they are ok trading in diversity to get results with the poorest. We'll see what happens with high-SES enrollment at HD Cooke. Too early to tell now.

My son goes to KIPP. It is not at all like a boot camp. They do have extended day and year, the school day is 8-4:15 starting in pk4. The extended year is a little different than what it sounds like DCPS is doing though - they have 3 weeks (I think it's 14 days) of mandatory summer school in August, then a long weekend, and then back to school. Summer school is from 9-3. Last day of school this year is June 16, and no snow make up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I REALLY wish it had been my in-bound school (Amidon-Bowen), which had some of the worst PARCC test scores in Ward 6. A 4-week summer break would be enough for my family to travel, do camps, etc. and preventing "summer slump" is a good idea, in my opinion.

Gross. Summer slide is made up in 2-4 weeks, as kids don't 'forget' how to
Add or read. DCPS should open up summer school to all kids- then those who want it can attend.
Amidon Bowen had extended day- another of the chancellors failed pilots and it did nothing. Our kids are so over schooled. It's gross.

[Anonymous]

Why would anyone support this?