I was a program director of a track-out camp in Wake County for 5 years and I have also worked to evaluate programs, train school-age providers, as well an consult with public school on better ways to engage at-risk students. ( With at-risk student I mean it in a very broad sense from students with learning disabilities, students who are not activiely engaged in the school process, students from other countries or cultures/ to underserved students) Basically, I gave them better ways to engage all students! With that background, I do not think Johnston County is prepared for year round schools. Because of the higher concentration of year round schools each camp/provider served multiple schools. Also, there were 4 tracks of kids tracked in and out and all times of the year so it was a constant flux of children. With schools scattered who may be offering this and all on one track this would not be the case for us, and would not make it worth it. Also, we have a serious lack of options here as it is. The child care centers do not typically have quality programs for school age children and feels institutionalized for the children. It is difficult to speacilize in preschool age children day in and day out and then expect them to run programs for older children. School led programs are often suffer from the same problem, expecially if it is run by the school. Nothing against teachers, but children need to explore new opportunities and fresh faces and will come into feeling like they never get a break from school. This will lead to MORE burn-out in the classroom during school time. Some teachers have a difficult time swithing gears from every day school type activities to experiential learning needed for enrichment. Lastly, imagine a kid who has a learning disability and tries his best every day to keep up but struggles. Now imagine during his break his friends in the neighborhood playing outside and relaxing and he "gets to go school for remediation". Teasing, low self-esteem, and mental exhaustion are all very possible results. Its very different if they quietly go for a tutor session somewhere other than the school where it would be a privatly. School is very mentally exhausting to theses kids and I don't mean just academically. One of the highest predictors of high school drop out is a child who becomes apathetic to school. It may sound like I am against year round schools. I am not! I worked with many families who love this schedule and it works great for them. I do believe the schedule works best for families and staff who can choose if they want to be on the schedule and not forced. Families who don't have older siblings that the schedule will intefere or child care is not a problem. I have been wrapped up in the debates of the Wake County School Board and have been happy to be living in Johnston County. I just feel this is a slippery slope of problems ahead!
Hi hubby! I think the year round calendar in Wake affected a lot of centers and programs in Wake. That pool we joined in Garner year before last was dead most of the summer except for when the largest track was out of school. DB's wife
I understood Wake's reason for year round calendars was to help solve the overcrowding problem. The track out program helps them handle more students at a school instead of having to build more schools. I think that's an excellent idea and reason for having a year round calendar. I dont support that a county should go to a year round calendar with the reason given because they think kids will retain more. Seriously? Kids will do better in school if they know their ABCs before they get to kindergarten, have parents/guardians that read to them, have parents/guardians that take them to the library, that help them with their homework, that teach them to respect their teachers (and others), that teach them some interpersonal skills. What about sending a hispanic child to school who doesnt even speak English. No matter if that kid tries his hardest he's still at a disadvantage. An old neighbor of mine told me once he decided to have a conference with his 3rd grader's teacher. He was concerned that his son was not bringing home any homework and they were well in to their third month of school. (A year round school mind you and one of the lowest performing schools in Wake County. It still is) The teacher said she was concentrating on working on their interpersonal skills. IN THE 3RD GRADE!!!!!! Im a huge believer in that it takes a village to raise a child. But in a village everyone pulls their weight to make it work. So many people dump their kids in public school and with the attitude that its someone elses job to educate them. To me I dont expect a school to educate my child without my help and support. If you don't want to take the time it takes to raise a child properly don't have them to begin with. No year round school calendar is gonna fix that problem. DB's wife
I think the AIG center does a disservice to all kids because the school can only send so many that can fit on the bus to carry them there. More kids would get the benefit of the AIG experience if they were school based ( a lot of teachers have the certification to teach it). More kids are identified but don't get to go because of the bus issue.
Excuse me, but where did you get your data from? The school system will bus any child that is identified for the Center. They don't pick and choose who will go based on bus seats available. That is simply crazy. I'll not even get into the other part of your statement as I think I've addressed it many times previously.
The AIG does a tremendous service for those students who attend. While I would prefer than each school offer an AIG program, having a center that is geared for AIG activity is better than a piecemeal approach. There are AIG certified teachers in regular classrooms. I'm married to one. My concern is that funding for AIG Center and enrichment activities will be taken to fund remediation. We may be sacrificing opportunities for some whose parents have really supported enriched education for their children. Where does the funding come from? IF the schools used as examples have received additional resources as part of their remediation from low perofrming schools, what additional resources will be dedicated to our area schools to enhance our school growth. Lest we forget, the school used as the example were failing schools, either under NCLB or AYP accounting, that permitted students to transfer to the Cleveland schools, if parents chose. Pretty much, the two schools in question had to improve...or else. Depending on where one begins to measure change, improvements can be shown, that may seem profound, yet are less than the total picture would indicate. Consider the 'dead cat bounce'. If one drops a dead cat from a skyscraper on Wall Street, it will bounce, somewhat. If we measure the change from the top, then the bounce did show improvement over meeting the pavement, yet the bounce is unsustainable. If we measure from the sidewalk, the bounce was a positive improvement, up until it reached the point at which gravity puled it back to the pavement. If WS and SS elementary schools fell down (as they did) and got some additional propulsion when they hit the sidewalk, one would expect some improvement. We cannot statistically compare higher resourced, formerly failing schools with Cleveland schools that have excelled, yet will receive none of the resources used to propel WS and SS. The math does not add up. And I am unable to get a response to the concern that I have that fair comparisons be made. It appears that I have reached the point where questions are seen as disruptions, suggesting that if I were a team player that I would just get on board the train and let the 'experts' decide what is best. NOT happening.
It has been a while since my kids went to the center (they are in high school now), but it seems that I recall 2 scores being used in AIG identification. One was to receive services at the elementary school and the other, a higher score, was needed to have the opportunity to attend the center. Maybe this is why some who are identified do not attend the center at your school. Also, some kids choose not to go, even if they are qualified to attend. Again, it has been a while since I dealt with this, but what you are proposing is highly unlikely.
From what I have heard...(feel free to correct) 1. Remediation will be provided from 8:30 until 11:30. No transportation or lunch will be provided by the schools. Parents who drop off their kids and go to work will have to arrange transportation after dismissal, if their child does not attend the educational day care. It sounds as if only children in remediation will be able to attend the follow on day care. If you have a child in remediation and one not in remediation, then you see the challenge. 2. How can families with children on different calendars plan for breaks? There is some overlap at Christmas and Spring Break (assuming no snow days eat the calendar) and 7 weeks during the summer. Your employer may have flexibility with this..or not. 3. How about the cost to schools? Schools will be required to allocate monies budgeted for summer school towards remediation. Some funds will initially be available from the cessation of summer school to defray the costs of remediation. What happens when that money is exhausted? I see this as the same thing we face when the federal dollars that were sent disappear. I do hope that finds designated for technology improvements or academic program like AIG are not taken away to provide funding for remediation. It's patently unfair to remove higher education opportunities from those families who sacrifice to provide a better challenging environment for enhanced education that schools provide on a limited basis, if at all 4. Can I transfer my child from a school that adopts the new calendar to one that keeps a traditional calendar? The only options for this are those under current board policy or NCLB options. No additional provisions for student transfer will be provided. So, presuming 700 students per school, and one of our 3 has chosen a traditional calendar. How many students from another school that elects to go to the new calendar will be allowed to transfer? How do we reconcile having one elementary school with traditional calendar over populated, and another underpopulated? Seems that someone (i.e. the board, will then make assignments regardless of parents wishes 5. Will teachers be allowed to transfer from one school to another? I can see this being an issue, especially of a teacher has children on a different academic schedule. And their voice shouldn't be disregarded just because they are employed by the schools, as they pay taxes and their vote counts the same as yours. If this would be a one for one exchange, no problem. But, it seems that teachers who might most be affected by this are teachers with experience teaching, whose families have grown older and may have children in middle or high schools. these teachers are the institutional experts and memory, the mentors of the brand new folks. Seems quite shortsighted to tell these folks that their voice counts for nothing, because they choose to work for the school. My fear is that if the devaluation of effective teachers continues, we'll actually soon be getting just what we pay for. As it is now, we're getting much more from most of them that we pay. If we disregard teachers personal family needs, we will lost those who are most dedicated to the profession.
right, but i think the point is that some choose not to go becasue they don't want to have their kids get on a bus and travel from one location to the other just so they can get enrichment. some aig kids are missing out on aig because it's only offered in one, off-site location in the whole county. i understand that's their "choice", but it's like choosing between sucks and sucks less...
hat...why do you think that enrichment dollars are going to be diverted to remediation expenditures under this new calendar? what if enrichment continues to be funded?
ok, more rumors - I hope. Originally I heard from a TA in Cleveland that the vote there was NO and we were out (at least for this year of trying to be the first school to go ahead) anyway I was now just at a children's party and was told from a TA that the board is waiting for all schools and if the majority are yes (and her majority was made up of all school personnel) that there would be no parent voting!! HELP! I'm more confused then ever!!and when are we going to be officially anything cause all this back and forth is making me crazy!!!
DB, I haven't seen any of the cost allocations or breakdowns. One of the documents I have seen indicates that there may be a short term 'windfall' converting summer school dollars into remediation dollars, but that the long term indicates that not all of the expenses will be paid for by the restructuring. I wanted to get some kind of response, on the record, of projected costs and where this money is coming from, and to ensure that it isn't diverted away from AIG or other programs like technological improvements to the school. As far as the parents vote, it will follow a school vote, if over 50% of the staff of a school voted to adopt the new calendar. If the vote is over 50% yes, as it was at Polenta, there will be information sent home supportive of the adoption, with (as far as I know) no dissenting discussion being sent along. At a parents night, the discussion will occur, again, not sure of questions will be allowed, or answered, or if opposing view points will be allowed to be voice. One would think in a democracy, that all sides would have equal opportunity for presentation and Q&A, yet, the lack of official response so far indicates that there is an agenda being pushed, and anything that gets in the way is dismissed, ridiculed, or ignored. I am unsure as to how the voting, post discussion, will be conducted or counted. As Cleveland Elementary staff voted against this, as far as I know, there is no need for a parent's discussion and vote. I am unaware of the Westview results.
According to some of my sources, West View voted NO, Riverwood voted NO, Four Oaks voted YES and Cooper voted YES. Parent Letters have already gone home at Four Oaks and I think the meeting is this coming Wed. or Thurs., when I know a definite I will post. They received the letter and it stated that there would be no informal Q&A, that parents had to submit questions by a certain date in order for those questions to be addressed. When I know more I will post. I'd love to know how the other schools in the county are voting.
Look at numbers at the schools. More kids should be qualified to go. Like a school that has 800 kids, only 10-15 are qualified? I just think Johnston County focuses on the I in AIG and not the A. Then they HAVE to have the number of people allowed to go that can fit on bus and in the classrooms. The numbers are capped per school. They have to be.
Agreed. My oldest went every year and loved it. My youngest only attended for one and a half years. He didn't like the change in his routine and being away from his friends at school. I agree that on site would be wonderful. Not sure how it would be funded fully, but it would be best for all students if it were possible. I was mainly trying to help the other poster understand the process for attending the center, without success apparently. My advice to mom2two is to contact the TISS for your school to get clarification on the selection process for attending the center. :? I wish you all the best with the original topic of this thread. If I can get my kids through the next three years, I will be a happy camper. Good luck!
I just want parents to be sure how the voting works. From what I was told by a teacher at an elementary school; no votes count for no and yes votes count for yes, and then the parents that don't vote count as yes votes.. Can someone find out if this is true from the county? Somewhere that just does not sound legal at all....BTW, this teacher said the administrator shared this... But with as quick as this has been thrown on the parents with little time to actually weigh the pros and cons, this statement does not seem unrealistic. Sometimes in order to get ones agenda passed, the "let's keep this an quiet as possible" method works.
Advocate- I too have felt like this was being shoved down as quickly as possible with a dose of Shhhh, don't let the cat out of the bag. I also stand firm that this calendar is the Gateway Drug to Year Round Schools. Just think of the COSTS- the Bottom Line Costs.... this is all MORE EXPENSIVE. Much more of my tax dollars will be needed to run a school in JULY. The new calendar with what ever sales name they put on it is not for our family - it might be for yours- but you BETTER know what you are getting into ASK questions, gather information & be informed before you & your neighbors VOTE. The issue is DEAD at CES for now. Who know how it will go at Polena.
I don't believe the numbers are capped per se, but I do believe that the new tests that they started using three years ago to identify AIG kids (for the Center and cluster) have caused the numbers at each school to go down significantly. I know at my child's school, the numbers use to be around 20 that went to the center and now it's down to 2. As for cluster kids, those numbers are down as well but I don't have a figure on them. And now that they're not testing at all until 3rd grade, that also reduces the numbers as you don't have K-2 kids being identified for any AIG services. So I do believe that the Central Office has a hand in the numbers of AIG kids going down but not for the reasons you are stating. And my belief is that they changed the tests knowing what the end results would be so that they could justify shutting down the Center due to decreased numbers. It's not that our county's children are getting dumber, it's that the administration has decided they don't want to continue to fund programs that help our brightest students - either at the Center or at the base schools.
Wake County Year Round Schools are intended to SAVE money. Multi track year round has been proven to not benefit the child. What they are proposing is single track (and not even year round). Those have been proven to benefit the child and increase academic success. This is not a gateway to year round schools b/c the motivation is not to save money, it is to help those children who are at risk. Money well spent. I am all for it and always have been since I was a special needs middle school teacher in Smithfield. BTW, I have a child that attends the AIG center and I still think this would be a good use of our $.
