I've heard for a while about extended school days and/or areas of the world sending their children to school year-round. In 2014–2015, classroom schedules for more than 13,000 students at select schools across five states will be extended as part of a collaborative program announced last December. The Time (Time for Innovation Matters in Education) Collaborative program was developed specifically for schools and communities of concentrated poverty.
The Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee schools that participate have agreed to redesign their school days to add 300 hours of additional instruction and other enrichment activities in each school year. The Time Collaborative program not only allows for longer class periods so students can focus on core studies in greater depth, but entire classes have been added for small-group instruction for those who need it.
What about in Pennsylvania, specifically Pittsburgh area schools? According to the US Department of Education, the average school day in the U.S. is 6.7 hours. My own children are in school for 6 1/2 hours each day.
The students who will spend an extra 300 hours a year at school, learning technologies and studying world cultures, healthy living, foreign languages, fitness and healthy living as part of their core curriculum, will absolutely benefit from the TIME Collaborative program. Should I be concerned that MY kids will not able to compete in the real world simply because their classroom schedules are not as aggressive? Absolutely not!
I believe that learning should begin as soon as a child walks into the classroom. Lessons should be engaging enough to keep students focused every minute of every single class. My children attend a school with certain sociological and economic challenges and I have seen firsthand the efficiency and compassion of our teachers. At this time, it is unnecessary to further strain the school board budget to support additional school hours. As with anything, there is room for continued growth and improvement, but I can say that when a specific need has been identified, the administration has addressed it. If the children in our area face the issues that the students in the other five states are facing, I am sure that this will become a priority.
The PTA organization at my children's school financially supports diverse programming to reinforce that every child has an opportunity to be well-rounded (without extending their school days). Advocacy through the PTA has helped me stay informed about the needs in our school community and across the country. Involvement also ensures the continued success of PTA supported enrichment programming like Multicultural Night, Run for Fun, Traveling Art Gallery (just to name a few).
Finally, we all want what is best for our children and are well aware of the importance of education. If you are moving in the Pittsburgh area and would like to compare PSSA test scores of the various school districts, check out the following:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/promo/schoolguide?r=full&full=true
For more information on how to get involved in the national PTA Organization or to learn more about the TIME Collaborative Program, check out the following links:
http://www.pta.org/
http://www.timeandlearning.org/files/TIMECollabOverviewNov2013.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment