| 
Arguments
For and Against a Synchronized, Post Labor Day School
Start Date
Local
Control
Proponents
say:
- Current Indiana law does not provide total control to school district when setting school calendars. Surveys nation wide show the vast majority of parents support post-Labor Day school start dates.
- Having a uniform,
post-Labor Day school start date will provide an equal number of instructional
days to all students before taking the state standardized test.
- Having all students
starting school on the same day will eliminate confusion for parents
moving from district to district and ensure all children start school
on the first day of classes.
Opponents
say:
- Local elected
officials are better able to set school calendars that work for their
district.
- School Board
members are elected by the people and should have the power to set
the school calendar.
- Each school
district has vastly different needs and that one school-start date
does not fit all.
Fall
Semester Exams
Proponents
say:
- We have been
unable to find research to support the assumption that students perform
better academically if the first semester is complete prior to the
winter break. To the contrary, evidence that supports the calendar
configuration does not impact academic performance.
- But, the top
10 academic states, in four commonly used state education ranking
systems, have two things in common. The majority began the school
year in late August or early-September and administer semester finals
after the winter break.
- Students in
Arlington Public Schools in Virginia, a state that has been starting
school after Labor Day for many years, had the highest cumulative
SAT scores in the nation in 2006, with an average composite score
of 1620.
- Long-term learning
is enhanced when students have an opportunity to review and study
material that they have been presented over a semester in a thoughtful
and timely manner. This is called the "spacing effect" and
is well documented in psychology literature.
Opponents
say:
- A later school
start date will preclude the first semester from being completed prior
to the Winter Break and students do better if they are able to take
exams before the long break.
Teacher’s
Continuing Education
Proponents
say:
- Evidence shows
that most colleges and universities pull from many school districts.
Institutions of higher learning cannot be expected to set summer class
schedules around several different start and end dates.
- It is difficult
to create advanced learning opportunities for teachers when public
school calendars vary.
- Many of our
dedicated teachers are currently not certified in the area in which
they teach. Federal education law requires certification in areas
of teaching for all by the year 2012 -- a longer summer would allow
teachers more time to earn this needed certification.
- Teachers often
receive increased pay as advanced degrees are received and we should
maximize the time our teachers have to achieve advanced learning.
- Research shows
that students taught by teachers who hold national certification score
better on standardized tests.
Opponents
say:
- Institutions
of higher learning should modify their schedules to accommodate teachers’
needs.
- It is not the
school systems responsibility to set a school calendar that works
with the summer sessions offered by colleges and universities.
Student
Employment
Proponents
say:
- The majority
of students today don’t work for the "fun" of it.
Many work to help with household expenses or to save for higher learning.
- The Employment
Policies Institute found that students who worked during high school
had higher paying jobs upon graduation.
- Teachers also
report students with part-time jobs are more focused and more appreciative
of their education than others.
Opponents
say:
- Student work
is a matter of personal choice and the school calendar should not
be structured around it.
Agrarian
Calendar
Proponents
say:
- We couldn’t agree more. The agrarian calendar, a calendar with mini-breaks and a shorter summer, was ushered out with urbanization – and is continued to be pushed by those supporting the year-round calendar concept, as is documented in Dr. Kenneth Gold's book School's In: the History of Summer Education in American Public Schools.
Opponents
say:
- The "traditional
calendar" is a calendar of yesteryear and we should not be continuing
to use an agrarian calendar in this modern age.
Early-August
School Start Dates Necessary to End School Year in May
Proponents
say:
- Surveys in other
states have shown parents support the school year ending by late-May
or early June.
- Arkansas law requires 180 student instructional days a year.
- There are 194
weekdays between the day after Labor Day and May 30.
Opponents
say:
- Parents want
the school year to end prior to Memorial Day. This necessitates an
early-August school start date.
Early-August
School Start Dates Allow More Frequent and Much Needed Breaks During
the School Year
Proponents
say:
- Calendars with
many breaks interrupt the flow of learning.
- Finding quality childcare for children during these breaks can be difficult
- There is no
evidence year-round school calendars, as calendars with frequent breaks
are called, are better for student achievement, as proponents of year
round school calendars claim. Actually, a recent study by world renowned
education researcher, Dr. Gene V. Glass, found: ". "These
arguments often rely on data drawn from laboratory experiments where
subjects memorize nonsense syllables or perform other non-meaningful
tasks. The relevance of these studies to actual classroom practice
is questionable."
- News articles
report school districts around the country have dropped year round
school calendars for two basic reasons – increased non-instructional
cost and no increase in academic performance.
Opponents
say:
- Teachers and
students enjoy mini-breaks during the school year. Frequent small
breaks keep them refreshed and prevent student and teacher burnout.
- More breaks
during the school year and a shorter summer break are better for student
achievement.
Travel
and Tourism
Proponents
say:
- We have been
unable to find research that shows starting school early benefits
long term learning.
- We have found
research supporting the need for increased dollars earmarked for education
and research touting the benefits of youth work experiences.
- The mid-August school start date is currently cutting up to three weeks from the summer tourism season - meaning Indiana taxpayers are shouldering a heavier tax burden to provide the same tax dollars to our classrooms.
- School administrators
and teachers are continually reminding elected officials of the need
for more educational dollars. Taxpayers do not want to foot a larger
bill. By pushing back the start of the school year we would be eliminating
one of the most expensive cooling months of the school year and increasing
tax revenue to the state, without placing higher taxes of individuals.
- A synchronized
post-Labor Day school start date would not only reduce non-instructional
costs, but increase tax revenue available for legislators to increase
public education funding.
- Non-tourism
related business have difficulty scheduling summer vacations for employees
with children during the short summer.
Opponents
say:
- School calendars
should not be set around the needs of industry.
- The early school
start date often provides families the opportunity to travel and less
expensive and crowed times.
-
|
|
|
