"The board also discussed proposed changes to the eight accelerated learning academies, which opened in August 2006 with a school year 10 days longer and a school day 45 minutes longer than the district standard.
Christiana Otuwa, executive director of the academies, proposed cutting two of the ten extra ALA days from the calendar and about 20 minutes from the ALA school day. The changes would take effect next school year."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09007/940011-53.stm (last para).
- This is surprising because the longer school year and day seemed to be one of the main features that made ALA's different from schools that are not ALA's.
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6 comments:
If the ALA results are as good as reported why make this change? Unless they forgot to ask teachers and families ahead of time if the extra 10 days and 45 minutes would work for them.
I will post back in later. I just wanted to see how quickly PURE would report on the PG article. Impressive.
No school should be scheduled to start until after Labor Day. PERIOD.
In August, it is just too hot.
In August, we've got family time and vacation time.
In August, we've got summer jobs.
In August, we've got an economy to run.
Bring the teachers back, if you must, before Labor Day. But keep the kids out of school.
Furthermore, the numbers of those who did attend school in August have always been kept as a 'secret.' There wasn't any learning going on as the classrooms were way to vacant to begin to address new topics with the kids. The kids didn't show up.
And, the district didn't report the numbers of those that did and didn't show up anyway.
The idea of August school failed, like I knew it would.
A "new and innovated" idea that doesn't work...what a shock and surprise. It is sad to me that the district believed that what amounts to an extra 22days of school would fix it all.
The money that 'didn't exist' and has been wasted in the past years is a sin. The kids need from K-12: smaller classes, tutors and real learning (not test taking)to be encouraged. Those who have pretended to fix the problem ARE THE PROBLEM!! If we keep voting for garbage....
The ALA's are out of control. Period.
The public relations machine over on Bellefield Avenue is revving it up again. What a knee-slapper this report was.
The ALA's were a disaster from the start. Look at the first year when a number of principals and many teachers jumped ship. (despite signing a 3 year contract) A longer school year and longer days just equaled more teacher "babysitting" time. I know one teacher who signed a 3 year contract and can't wait until this school year is over to get out of there. This was another one of Roosevelt's "brainstorms" that failed.
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