Students Can’t Take In Much If School’s Out

Ask average people what could be improved in California’s school system and you’re likely to get a variety of responses. The proposed solutions run the gamut from “more money for teachers” to “smaller class size” to “parents need to get more involved.”

None of the above answers are incorrect, and various groups in education all are justified in their frustrations. Teachers are under pressure to produce high test scores often with minimum resources and are rewarded with an inadequate salary. Some campuses do have a space problem and could use more inspirational decor. And on the home front, there are parents who fail to offer their kids the support to succeed.

Gov. Gray Davis has stepped in and proposed a longer school day for some middle schools. His plan includes a $1.45-billion, three-year initiative that would add 30 days of instruction to the 180-day middle school year. And while many already have criticized the governor for this proposal, he’s not altogether wrong. Anything in life that is difficult to achieve can be attained with more time and attention.

But an absent footnote is the best-kept secret about the school calendar, and the truth about how regularly students actually attend class. Take a look at the basic academic year from September through June and you’ll notice that it resembles a piece of Swiss cheese.

For example in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, each and every Wednesday, children are dismissed early at 2:05 p.m. This shaves off a good hour for students in grades four to six, who usually get out at 3:05 p.m. The result is four hours a month of missed classroom time.

The governor contends that when these students move on to middle school, they still are behind in basic skills. Hence, he proposes adding more days to middle school to bring these skills on target and improve math and reading. Yet wouldn’t it make more sense to revisit the Wednesday early-dismissal policy to ensure kids have more class time before the middle-school slump?

Then there are the many new holidays, which have parents joking, albeit tongue in cheek, “Every time you turn around, the kids are out of school.” Well sorry, I’m no longer laughing.

Recently my first-grade daughter was off an entire week for the latest concoction: “Presidents Week.” Funny, businesspeople and government employees only take one day for Abe and George, but the school takes five.

During a previous school term for my daughter, there was an additional four-day weekend in November that came right before the already lengthy Thanksgiving break. It was a combination of Veterans Day and the mystery “Admission Day.” I later learned that commemorates California being admitted to the Union. Sure, a notable day for Gold Rush descendants, but does it merit a day off?

In the same month (and again in early March) is additional early dismissal for an entire week for parent-teacher conferences. This comes with a bonus day off on that same Wednesday. Throw in the Christmas break at the end of December and basically you have a very disruptive schedule that is hardly conducive to learning. Combine this with sick days and it’s a wonder anyone can learn gerunds and past participles.

In discussing this matter with my in-laws in France, I am stunned to hear how much more time European children spend in the class. Most schools are dismissed sometime after 4:30. Yes, they have early out on Wednesday, but those schools actually meet Saturday morning to make up the time.

And we’re supposed to be the leaders of the free world? How will our children compete in an international market if they’re hardly ever in class?

Don’t get me wrong. As a parent I have an infinite amount of respect for what is working in our public schools. I find our teachers dedicated and hard-working. I believe administrators and school board members want students to succeed. One teacher even acknowledged to me, “Just as you build up the momentum, boom, you’re shut down.”

But I believe the constant early-outs and days off are in part to blame for low test scores and students struggling with basic skills.

Sadly, parents have little to say about the calendar, which is a serious flaw in the system. I’d like to consolidate the calendar to provide a solid four months of learning September through December and likewise in the winter term.

This could be done by limiting observed holidays of any kind to one a month, with a Thanksgiving break and weeks off only at Christmas and spring break. The time classes adjourn should remain the same, day in and day out.

A disciplined calendar prepares our kids for the real world and provides fewer distractions. Let’s be more realistic about needed “holidays” and more firm about staying in the classroom. If we succeed, our children get smarter and California taxpayers save $1.45 billion. Now wouldn’t that make our math teachers proud?