I teach in a FCPS elementary school. If there was a district-wide move to a modified calendar, I would be in support of trying it. As an elementary teacher, with a child in MS and one in HS, having different schedules would be a nightmare. When my oldest (now in college) was in K, our neighborhood school (Title I) was on a modified calendar. Because I was working at a preschool that was not, I had to opt him out so we were on the same schedule, but I really liked the idea in principle. The staff at our neighborhood school really liked it. During the 3 week breaks, they offered intercessions (optional) which were either remediation or enrichment. This added extra costs due to staffing the intercessions. (FCPS cut these programs before my younger two went to school, so we moved them to our neighborhood school.) If Northam wants to use this model, it would of course need to be funded. Another option would be going back to offering summer school for those who need it. The past few years, they have only had Bridge to K, SpEd programs and Young Scholars in the summer. Many of my colleagues chose to work summer school when it was held. If this is what Northam was referring to, then this option would also require additional funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you actually care about closing the achievement gap, you are a proponent for year round school. The lack of year round school in America is strong evidence for the fact that no one actually cares about closing the achievement gap, no matter what they prattle on about during SB elections.

The achievement gap will not be closed with mandatory summer school for all.

The parents have realized using poor and minoritized kids did not get their kids in the building yet and have dropped their feigned interest. Pool it is.

Anonymous wrote:If you actually care about closing the achievement gap, you are a proponent for year round school. The lack of year round school in America is strong evidence for the fact that no one actually cares about closing the achievement gap, no matter what they prattle on about during SB elections.

The achievement gap will not be closed with mandatory summer school for all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think this will be mandatory? My kids don’t need it. We have supplemented and they are working above grade. I want my kids to have camps, sports, vacations and all of the things that they missed out on last summer vs sitting in a hot classroom in masks doing remedial work. Have all students take a test and offer to only those who need it.

"OUR KIDS ARE BEHIND!"

[someone mentions school during the summer]

"NO NOT LIKE THAT!"

Basically. If is hysterical the frenzy that so many here have whipped themselves up into over school not educating their kids, DL doesn’t work, the learning loss is tremendous. “Poor kids and minoritized groups HAVE to be in because they’re suffering learning loss!” Oh but even schools might then move to year round all of a sudden the privileged people who need the pool and summer travel don’t care again.

This is why you’ve all been consistently called out on using lower income kids and Black and brown kids to get YOUR kids in the buildings. It was always disingenuous and this just is further proof. What might help a lot of the highest needs students is going to be absolutely protested by wealthy parents who won’t give up the pool.

...unless, of course, different posters are making these different, and obviously inconsistent, arguments. Or you can just say “See you contradicted yourself, I win!” as if you are arguing with a single person on the interwebs. But you are not.

Pools should not come before schools.

Or course many of them are the same. They want schools open now for their kids and closed in the summer when they want to travel and do the pool. They didn’t care about marginalized students before which is why they dropped any pretense of caring the second summer was threatened with the possibility of year round school. But they still want their kids in the building tomorrow many of them.

If you actually care about closing the achievement gap, you are a proponent for year round school. The lack of year round school in America is strong evidence for the fact that no one actually cares about closing the achievement gap, no matter what they prattle on about during SB elections.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think this will be mandatory? My kids don’t need it. We have supplemented and they are working above grade. I want my kids to have camps, sports, vacations and all of the things that they missed out on last summer vs sitting in a hot classroom in masks doing remedial work. Have all students take a test and offer to only those who need it.

"OUR KIDS ARE BEHIND!"

[someone mentions school during the summer]

"NO NOT LIKE THAT!"

Basically. If is hysterical the frenzy that so many here have whipped themselves up into over school not educating their kids, DL doesn’t work, the learning loss is tremendous. “Poor kids and minoritized groups HAVE to be in because they’re suffering learning loss!” Oh but even schools might then move to year round all of a sudden the privileged people who need the pool and summer travel don’t care again.

This is why you’ve all been consistently called out on using lower income kids and Black and brown kids to get YOUR kids in the buildings. It was always disingenuous and this just is further proof. What might help a lot of the highest needs students is going to be absolutely protested by wealthy parents who won’t give up the pool.

...unless, of course, different posters are making these different, and obviously inconsistent, arguments. Or you can just say “See you contradicted yourself, I win!” as if you are arguing with a single person on the interwebs. But you are not.

Pools should not come before schools.

Year round school would be a good move and one that is long overdue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is very shocking that every parent does not have the identical opinion on summer school or year round school.

Your sarcasm and fake limousine naïveté don’t matter. Year round school ain’t happening.

People throw a fist over teacher’s salaries and now you gonna want to increase budgets by 16%.

lawls

+507

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think this will be mandatory? My kids don’t need it. We have supplemented and they are working above grade. I want my kids to have camps, sports, vacations and all of the things that they missed out on last summer vs sitting in a hot classroom in masks doing remedial work. Have all students take a test and offer to only those who need it.

"OUR KIDS ARE BEHIND!"

[someone mentions school during the summer]

"NO NOT LIKE THAT!"

Basically. If is hysterical the frenzy that so many here have whipped themselves up into over school not educating their kids, DL doesn’t work, the learning loss is tremendous. “Poor kids and minoritized groups HAVE to be in because they’re suffering learning loss!” Oh but even schools might then move to year round all of a sudden the privileged people who need the pool and summer travel don’t care again.

This is why you’ve all been consistently called out on using lower income kids and Black and brown kids to get YOUR kids in the buildings. It was always disingenuous and this just is further proof. What might help a lot of the highest needs students is going to be absolutely protested by wealthy parents who won’t give up the pool.

Anonymous wrote:All members of Open School
Now should be required to enroll their kids in mandatory summer school. All the clamoring about how their kids aren’t learning anything. They can have the spots in place of everyone who feels DL is adequate.

I could not possibly be more opposed to mandatory year-round school. I'm homeschooling this year and will have to do it again if FCPS pulls this. They probably won't, but I'm mentally preparing just in case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s a good thing in theory to offer it to everyone, in person, free of charge this coming summer. In practice I think very few people will sign up for it and it might end up being more trouble than it’s worth.

Staffing might be an issue. It would have to be a separate contract.

I think teachers would sign up for it, especially those who take 2nd jobs as servers/retail/whatever over the summer or those who’s kids are older and can stay home alone and are looking to pick up some extra $$. My SIL and BIL are teachers in another state, and over summers my BIL does security for events/concerts and my SIL works at Olive Garden. I know they’d jump at this kind of opportunity, but of course the job market in general is a lot worse where they live so that’s the kind of 2nd jobs that are available, really not great stuff.

If they would jump at that kind of opportunity, they would be teaching summer school. Teachers typically want a break from kids over the summer.

DP, teacher.
Not all places offer summer school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s a good thing in theory to offer it to everyone, in person, free of charge this coming summer. In practice I think very few people will sign up for it and it might end up being more trouble than it’s worth.

Staffing might be an issue. It would have to be a separate contract.

I think teachers would sign up for it, especially those who take 2nd jobs as servers/retail/whatever over the summer or those who’s kids are older and can stay home alone and are looking to pick up some extra $$. My SIL and BIL are teachers in another state, and over summers my BIL does security for events/concerts and my SIL works at Olive Garden. I know they’d jump at this kind of opportunity, but of course the job market in general is a lot worse where they live so that’s the kind of 2nd jobs that are available, really not great stuff.

If they would jump at that kind of opportunity, they would be teaching summer school. Teachers typically want a break from kids over the summer.

The pool absolutely saved us last summer during covid. We went almost every day. I will not give up pool time. My kids don’t need and never have needed summer school. School is September - June.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is very shocking that every parent does not have the identical opinion on summer school or year round school.

Your sarcasm and fake limousine naïveté don’t matter. Year round school ain’t happening.

People throw a fist over teacher’s salaries and now you gonna want to increase budgets by 16%.

lawls

Yes, it is very shocking that every parent does not have the identical opinion on summer school or year round school.