Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Montgomery schools need permission to free themselves from a tyrannical calendar

AS STUDENTS head back to classrooms for the start of a new school year, many of them — notably those from historically disadvantaged groups — will have lost academic ground since the beginning of the summer break. Montgomery County officials want to do something about this loss of learning. First, though, they will need permission from the state board of education to break from the tradition — and tyranny — of a school calendar that contributes to what they call the summer slide.

After studying the issue for a year, Montgomery school officials concluded that the traditional 180-day school calendar may not meet the needs of all students, and that a new approach is needed to help those who are struggling. They have proposed an extended school year — 210 instructional days broken into quarters approximately 52 days in length — for two low-performing schools for the 2019-2020 school year. The Two Title I elementary schools, Arcola and Roscoe R. Nix, have high numbers of children from low-income families who, officials said, would benefit from additional time in the classroom rather than a prolonged lapse in instruction.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/montgomery-schools-need-permission-to-free-themselves-from-a-tyrannical-calendar/2018/09/03/8192c95c-aaea-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a2143bd55368

 

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