Reply to DC Public and charter - is there interest in year round school?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So,  to be clear year round school is a hit with folks because parents want to spend less on summer camp? That's the only pro agenda I've seen on this thread. 
Now- tell me that schools are not babysitters & that you value teachers as professionals- not just a place to dump your kids.[/quote]

No, because there is some evidence that year-round school would be better for kids.  Primarily by minimizing the summer brain drain that results in teachers spending September reviewing stuff the kids learned the year before.  Also, I think that giving kids regular, but shorter breaks throughout the year would be beneficial.  And, yes, it would be easier on working families.  [/quote]

NP - "some" evidence is not enough, and does that evidence does not apply universally.  The brain drain argument seems trotted out as a cover for people really interested in cost-savings (at the expense of tax payers) and convenience.  And the brain drain argument overlooks the things learned during vacation time that aren't taught in school.[/quote]

When 75% of students are low-income and at risk, the school district needs to adjust to meet and prioritize their needs . Otherwise you are just perpetuating the gaps between rich and poor students.

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/summer-learning-activities-ideas/78894-how-reading-prevents-summer-learning-loss/

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New poster here and I think I agree with NP above.

Education research shows that poor and disadvantaged students do better in year-round school, measured by test scores. This is due to "summer brain drain" and also because these students need more time to learn the material the first time around. The same research shows that there is no benefit of year round school for children of well educated, affluent parents, again measured by test scores. For these students the traditional school year is sufficient time to learn the material. If you extend the year without increasing the material then you are probably wasting these students' time. And if you increase the material via accelerated or enriched learning then the advanced students would learn more but the struggling students would be even further behind.

So why isn't there broad support for summer school to add more time to the year for kids who need it but not for kids who don't, to level the playing field and maximize efficient use of tax dollars?

My hypothesis is that the well-educated parents fall into two groups. One group prefers less school because that means more time for travel and private instruction, plus unstructured play for younger kids and internships or other college and career prep for older kids (A). Another group prefers more school because they are not in a position to arrange these things and they experience stress and maybe a little FOMO (B).

Given widely-cited DCUM demographics, my hypothesis is that these threads are largely a discussion between these two groups, A and B. The main proponents of extended year on these threads are not poor families or their advocates. They are well-educated families whose lives do not allow extensive summer enrichment or unstructured time for their little ones and who find it stressful to organize and pay for camps in the summer. These parents would find it unappealing and perhaps even socially stigmatizing to send their kids to a summer camp that is designed for struggling students. So they prefer to advocate for year-round school so that everyone is in the same boat.

This for me answers the question of why summer school does not get much support on these threads. An expanded summer program (these programs exist in DC but don't cover enough students) would solve the problems that affect disadvantaged kids, but it would not be appealing to group B.

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