Reply to DCPS Survey - Increase Instructional Time

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Reply to "DCPS Survey - Increase Instructional Time"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am mixed on this. If the "extra tim" really is to explore more arts and music etc then great.  I think the reality is that its just worksheets, drills, busy work to get the slowest kids up to speed so they aren't hurting test scores.  I just don't see the benefit for my kid.   Maybe if the school committed to no more homework in elem school it would be ok.[/quote]

High school student's parent perspective here. I agree with this PP. I have not one ounce of faith that DCPS would do anything creative or worthwhile with either extra hours or extra days. They already seem to shut down the learning process entirely once the test cycles are over, leaving the last few weeks of school to movies, goofing off, and cleaning tasks that paid staff or parent volunteers should be doing. Extra hours or days will just be filled with more remedial-type worksheets and other busywork.

I would prefer that my kid have time after school for music, sports, and other activities on his own, and in the summer, to have a summer job and pursue other interests. Anyone who has been through the college application process knows that DCPS kids are already disadvantaged in applying to colleges because of inadequate counseling, a sub-par curriculum, generally inferior extracurriculars (some schools are much better than others), and very old-fashioned teaching and administrative approaches to learning. Even the top DCPS schools graduate "A" students who have somehow never written a research paper, presented and defended a portfolio of work, or carried out a long-term group or individual project demonstrating depth of knowledge in a subject. The last things these kids need are 1) more time spent on this sort of academic approach, and 2) a new schedule that makes it harder for them to pursue the extracurricular and summer activities that they need to be competitive college candidates and to become skilled, happy, creative, well-rounded adults.

I think the vast majority of "yes" responses will be from elementary school parents who want more free daycare. I remember craving that myself in the early days, but you may come to regret your "yes" vote when your child is bored stiff in an unchallenging DCPS middle school or high school. Hard to think ahead that far if your kid is in preK, but the years really do fly by.

[/quote] +1 Great point! As a high school student I got so much out of my after school and summer jobs and internships. [/quote]

Kelly Miller has an extended day 2 days a week. Our extended day is one hour and only used for allowing students to participate in our SEM model in mass where they pick a class that is of their interest and then have a showcase at the end of every quarter.  Each quarter they can choose a different class. MWF KMMS does not have an extended day although there are many after school programs and activities.  This was started before Kaya Henderson made the blanketed announcement that all 40/40 schools would do this, which the school actually didn't.  Furthermore, DCPS has never changed the 40/40 school list and now the test has changed and the DCCAS was the original marker. [/quote]

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