TimeA Presentation on Education

Reform

ByTheresa Lemus Santos

Tricia RozumalskiAndrew Snavely

Some Areas of Time Reform

Year Round School

Extended School Day

Four Day Weeks

Block Scheduling

All Day Kindergarten

Quality of time in school

Year-Round Schooling

U.S. TOTALS = U.S. TOTALS = 384 School Districts totaling 384 School Districts totaling 3,206 school in all!3,206 school in all! OHIO TOTALS = OHIO TOTALS =

7 districts in Ohio; 27 schools7 districts in Ohio; 27 schools

Less than 4% of all schools in Less than 4% of all schools in nationwide, butnationwide, but

it’s 4 times the number of it’s 4 times the number of students in year-students in year-

round schools 10 years agoround schools 10 years ago

Traditional vs. Year-Round

Origins of School Year

“Year-Round” is a misleading term

Students in most American year-round school districts spend the same amount of days in class as students in traditional calendar schools – the days are just arranged differently.

PROS PROS Year-Round Year-Round SchoolingSchooling

Students and teachers Students and teachers are refreshed by more are refreshed by more frequent breaks frequent breaks (better attendance) (better attendance)

Not as much review in Not as much review in the fallthe fall

ESL students do not ESL students do not fall behind because fall behind because they are not exposed they are not exposed to Englishto English

Students requiring Students requiring academic support academic support don’t have to wait don’t have to wait to go to summer to go to summer school. school.

Increase academic Increase academic achievement scoresachievement scores

CONSCONSYear-Round Year-Round SchoolingSchooling

Too hard to fight Too hard to fight traditiontradition

Increased Increased maintenance and maintenance and operational cost operational cost

Higher pay for Higher pay for teachersteachers

Scheduling issues Scheduling issues can harm familiescan harm families

Sports teams and Sports teams and competitionscompetitions

Only adopt in Only adopt in elementary schoolselementary schools

LEADERSLEADERSYear-Round Year-Round SchoolingSchooling

Other Other industrialized industrialized nations: nations:

Germany ~ 240 daysGermany ~ 240 days

Japan ~ 243 days Japan ~ 243 days

China ~ 251 daysChina ~ 251 days

National National Association for Association for Year-Round Year-Round Education (NAYRE)Education (NAYRE)

http://www.nayre.org/

Minnesota Minnesota Association for Association for Year-Round Year-Round Education (MAYRE)Education (MAYRE)

Extending the School Day

What is the first thing we should do to help our children learn? Answer: Give them more time at school each day.

In the United States, the typical school day lasts 6 hours. In contrast, other nations provide up to 8 hours of schooling a day OR MORE!

Extending the School Day

PROSPROSExtending the Extending the School DaySchool Day

More More TIMETIME::

– InstructionInstruction– StudentsStudents– CurriculumCurriculum– IndividualizeIndividualize

……Less STRESS!Less STRESS!

Less time for Less time for “wasted” time “wasted” time outside of schooloutside of school

Increase student Increase student achievementachievement

Working parentsWorking parents

CONSExtending the School Day

BURN OUT!BURN OUT!

~ Kids~ Kids

~ Students~ Students

~ Teachers~ Teachers

The costs of The costs of extending the extending the school time are school time are disproportionate disproportionate to any resulting to any resulting instructional instructional gain.gain.

LEADERExtending the School Day

KIPP – Knowledge is Power ProgramFounders: Mike Feinburg and David Levin

They maintain that a major problem facing the U.S. today They maintain that a major problem facing the U.S. today is lack of sufficient time to learn.is lack of sufficient time to learn.

KIPP is a special group of charter schools.KIPP is a special group of charter schools.

Reformers recognize that they are competing for Reformers recognize that they are competing for children’s time and attention and the competition is fierce. children’s time and attention and the competition is fierce.

KIPP keeps kids so involved with school that they have KIPP keeps kids so involved with school that they have limited time to do anything else. limited time to do anything else.

Students aren’t the only one held to these standards, Students aren’t the only one held to these standards, parents and teachers are as well. parents and teachers are as well.

http://www.kipp.org/#

Four Day

School Week

Four Day WeekParticipating Schools:

In Kentucky: Webster County schools, Jackson School DistrictEast Grand, ColoradoSaratoga, ArkansasVarious rural districts in the mountains or desert of the west.

Pros:

Pros: Saves on Expenses

Buses:Jackson uses 520 gallons of diesel per day. A savings

of 20% on fuel took place.Webster County saved $150,000 on transportation,

overtime, workers’ compensation, and pay for substitutes.

An additional $167,000 was saved by cutting a few jobs and changing bus routes.

Pros: Saves on Expenses

Extra Activities:Saratoga, Arkansas saved enough to implement

tutoring on the fifth day (which was Monday for them)Teachers were paid by the hour and was on a

voluntary basis.Students were chosen based on the lowest 50th

percentile on the standardized test.At first, bus transportation was not offered and

turnout was slimFor the second semester, enough money had been saved

to provide transportation and attendance increased.

Pros: Saves on Expenses

● Jackson uses the fifth day as half a day for teacher in-service.

Teachers were able to meet and plan.

Pros: Saves on Expenses

Out-of-school benefits

Teachers and students called off less. This improved student attendance and reduced spendature on substitute teachers.

Both teachers and students could plan doctor’s appointments, … on this day.

Pros: Saves on Expenses

The school day was only increased by 90 minutes. Younger students had extended recess and snack times. Students had more time for lessons and to work on homework. Parents found that it was better to find sitters for all day on one day than two hours everyday of the week. One school board voted to return to a five day school week. At the next election, every member of the board was voted out. The public tends to support this, once they understand it.

Cons:Most states advocate more school days, not less.

A four day week would not fit into this criteria

Many districts believe that a four day week would not provide any benefits to the students. Students need more instructional days, not less.

Some districts are planning ahead for diesel fuel increases in order to be on the safe side.

Block

Scheduling

Block SchedulingWhat is Block Scheduling?

The restructuring of the school day from traditional seven or eight 50-minute periods to four 90 minute periods. Who is implementing Block Scheduling?

Various schools throughout the United States and Canada.

Ex. Ontario high schools; Appleton, Wisconsin School

District; Pierre, South Dakota

History of Block SchedulingIn 1959, J. Lloyd Trump proposed eliminating the traditional high school schedule and instituting classes of varying lengths in accordance with the instructional needs of students. The Trump Plan allowed for a class to meet for a 40-minute lecture, a 100-minute lab, and a 20-minute help session each week, whereas other classes could be short periods of 20 or 30 minutes. Trump encouraged teachers using his design to experiment with a variety of instructional strategies.

History of Block SchedulingIn 1990, Michael Fullan reiterated the idea that the traditional high school schedule had become a powerful myth, ceremonially adopted whether or not it was efficient or effective. Even today, despite awareness of problems with the traditional schedule, the power it exerts causes some educators to resist any change in the schedule and others to choose to return to an unblocked format.

History of Block SchedulingIn 1993 Tom Donahoe argued that restructuring should include the formal rearranging of the use of time in schools in order to promote an active culture that would improve student learning. He believed that this would bring about the creation of new kinds of American schools. One year later, the National Commission on Time and Learning published its report, Prisoners of Time, which warned that schools must be reinvented to focus on learning, not time. The Commission recommended using block scheduling to give teachers the time to engage students in active instruction.

ProsScience teachers prefer the block scheduling for extra

teaching and labs.Less time is spent in the halls switching classes.

More time is available for student-teacher interaction.Unless teachers try to cover twice the material within

the 90 minutes, there is less stress for the teachers.Statistically fewer failing grades.More time is allotted for off-site work experiences.The drop out rate is reduced.

ConsJunior/Senior High counselors are reporting on having to

deal with more problems with scheduling.Students are not retaining the information so the Appleton,

Wisconsin School District made a 20% cut in the curriculum.The students do not have the attention span needed for this

length of time.In most situations, students learn a years worth of curriculum in

a semester. In addition, time passes before they are re-introduced to the subject matter.

One 90 minute class has 10% less time than two 50 minute classes.

Difficulty making up work when school is missed.

All-Day

Kindergarten

History of All Day Kindergarten

Kindergarten was generally all day until...

World War IIDue to...

Lack of SpaceShortage of teachersHeightened birth rate

Kindergarten transformed from all day to half day.

There became a renewed interest in all day kindergarten with the success of programs such

as...

In the 1960’s and 1970’s…

Head Start

Why Is All Day Kindergarten Important?

Why Is All-Day Kindergarten Important?

Students are coming to kindergarten unprepared…Some don’t know the names of lettersSome cannot count to 20Some don’t know colors or shapes

Also there are…Gaps between low income and higher incomeGaps between racial groupsGaps between English speaking and non-

English speaking households

Who Benefits from All Day

Kindergarten??

ParentsLower child care costs

Opportunity for lower-income families to enroll in quality early education program

Less difficulty scheduling child care and transportation

Can get involved more in classroom and communicate with teacher

TeachersReduced ratio of transition time to learning time

More time spent with students individually

More time getting to know and communicating with parents

More time to assess students and individualize their education

Fewer total students

SCHOOLSNo need for midday busses

No need for midday crossing guards

And Lastly...

The Students...Benefit

AcademicallySocially

Emotionally

Students...Academically

More independent learning

More classroom involvement

Explore subjects in depth

Flexible, individualized learning environment

Individual, small group interaction with teacher

Students...● Socially

More productivity in working with peers

More likely to approach the teacher

● Emotionally

Express less withdrawl

Express less anger

Express less shyness

Lastly...● The

demands

of the

curriculum

An Effective Kindergarten Program Must...

integrate new learning with past experiences in project work through mixed

ability and mixed-age grouping

involve children first hand with objects, other children, and adults

emphasize language development

work more with parents to share information and enhance parent-teacher partnerships

offers a balance between small group, large group, and individual activites

develop social skills

Interview With A Teacher

● Danielle Baltzer, Former First Grade Teacher

“When we switched to all-day kindergarten, the students were better prepared to begin first grade. They could handle staying in school for the entire day because they were used to it. They also were ready to begin reading.”

Colleen Skirtich, Kindergarten teacher

“With all-day kindergarten, the children ALL were ready to enter first grade – even the children who began the year at an academic disadvantage. Now, with the Ohio State Standards, it is difficult to fit in all the materials in only a half-day school day.”

If All Day Kindergaten Seems Ideal,

Then

Why Don't All Schools Implement It???

It all Boils Down To...

It Costs An Average of....

An additional $500,000 to run an All Day

Kindergarten Program for one year.

How Can We More Effectively

Use the Time We Have Now???

Present Quality Lessons Brain Research (Dr. David Sousa)

Look at Learning Modalities

1/2 Visual1/3 Kinesthetic1/5 Auditory

Present lessons involving all 3!

Primacy-Recency EffectChunk Activity into 3 sections

(Example 40 minute lesson)

Prime Time 1

Teach new materialsStudents learn best20 minutesTeacher led

Down-Time

7 minutesStudents working Students learn least Student led

Prime Time 2

13 minutesTeach 2nd most important Students learn 2nd mostTeacher or student led

Common Planning TimeBenefits

Teachers can discuss lessons and “iron out kinks” before the lessons are presented.

Teachers can design thematic units so material is repeated throughout the various content areas.

The teachers can discuss the students, their grades, and what strategies work best for each student.

ResourcesYear Round School and

Extended School Day

http://minecu.govt.nz/print_doc.cfu?layout=document&documentid.htmlhttp://edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=art_1313&issue=jun_05http://www.ericdigest.org/pre-922/year.htm http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec01/year-round.html

Matthews, Jay. (2005) Let's Have a 9-Hour School Day. The Washington Post: Washington D.C.

http://www.pbs.org/makingschoolswork/sbs/kipp/time.html

Resources

●Http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051004/ NEWS02/510040380/1014 http://content.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin073.shtmlhttp://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/12719269.htmhttp://www.jefflindsay.com/Block.shtmlhttp://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kque0011.htm

–4 Day Week and –Block Scheduling

Resources

●http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/13_pugmiret_alldayk/ ●http://www.detnews.com/2001/schools/0103/03/schools-194865.htm ●http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/full.day.kinder.p.k12.3.html ●http://www.thisweek-online.com/2004/September/24mp191k.html ●http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0129/p01s03-ussc.html ●http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2001/clark01.html ●http://www.nwrel.org/request/dec2002/textonly.html#studies●htt[://www.teachersworkshop.com/twshop/sousa.html●http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/index,html#USES%20OF%20TIME●http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/UsesofTime/index.html

All Day Kindergartenand Quality of Time