tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2267297367552996680..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education Items of NoteMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-8561019052568965522014-06-27T15:12:50.637-07:002014-06-27T15:12:50.637-07:00Second Step is terrible. I was at two schools whe...Second Step is terrible. I was at two schools where I didn't see it do anything but waste time. There are things that DO work (Roots of Empathy is cool).<br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42897820805583048892014-06-27T14:32:24.201-07:002014-06-27T14:32:24.201-07:00Ugh...Second Step. A heavily scripted program disl...Ugh...Second Step. A heavily scripted program disliked by many students and teachers, yet supported by administration. It took away 30 minutes a week that students could have used to keep up with homework, meet with teachers, etc. <br /><br />http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/intervention_reports/wwc_secondstep_030513.pdf<br /><br />ughAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-23259197028754584002014-06-27T09:32:15.388-07:002014-06-27T09:32:15.388-07:00My first thought is homework. If these all-day sc...My first thought is homework. If these all-day schools eliminate the need for homework, it's not surprising that there might be improvements, as you're getting extra instruction instead of extra frustration. And then kids can relax when they leave. It would also remove the 'fairness' factor of homework - that some kids are coming home to a snack and dedicated homework time while others have less than ideal circumstances. <br /><br />-New MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-77624153940588192482014-06-26T23:26:46.431-07:002014-06-26T23:26:46.431-07:00Correction:
Finland's test scores Do NOT cont...Correction:<br /><br />Finland's test scores Do NOT continually top international rankings.dan dempseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-52001198529791488672014-06-26T21:46:57.924-07:002014-06-26T21:46:57.924-07:00Some of it is curriculum. Some of it is space iss...Some of it is curriculum. Some of it is space issues. Some of it comes down to time management skills of the teachers. Some Seattle elementary schools spend too much time on transitions because they don't have enough gym space for regular PE times for all the kids and so they have three week rotations with extra specialists coming in at different times. The routine never becomes routune enough and no one ever gets into any kind of groove that allows for smooth transitions. Then you have the MAP testing three times a year and all the chaos that causes to the schedule. Kids like order and routine and to know what is coming next. Teachers also get to decide how much time they want to spend on each subject, so if a teacher wants to spend an hour on Second Step and 30 minutes on free reading and does not feel like teaching grammar at all, that can happen (and then you get a report card with a bunch of asterisks of areas not covered because "there wasn't time to cover that"). I think there is plenty of time in the day and the principal at each school needs to make sure that they aren't expecting the impossible when taking into account all the transitions that have to be made, and they should be holding teachers accountable for covering the curriculum in basic areas.<br /><br />Gen Ed MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42652663564430504122014-06-26T21:21:12.216-07:002014-06-26T21:21:12.216-07:00TechyMom,
Class sizes were at least as large as o...TechyMom,<br /><br />Class sizes were at least as large as our local public school. You're mostly right about the homogeneity though. Students who were ahead of or behind the curve just weren't served. (Maybe limiting the range of skill levels in a classroom would free up some time for recess, PE, art and music?)<br /><br />If we had the money to pay for a longer school day, it would be better spent on smaller class sizes and extra support for struggling students. Like high school start times, the length of the elementary school day should be based on children's needs. Providing (paid) after school care for those who need it seems appropriate.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53968097895192429522014-06-26T19:57:31.139-07:002014-06-26T19:57:31.139-07:00Lynn, it works at private schools because you have...Lynn, it works at private schools because you have homogenous skill levels and small classes. Getting anything done in a class if 30 kids with 4 grade levels of skills takes forever. Just getting that many bodies in from recess or that many minds focused on a new task takes a lot of time. The work is rushed. The transitions are both rushed and a huge waste of time. So, you can have large heterogeneous classes, or a 6.5 hour day, or a relaxed pace, time to eat, and more topics covered. <br /><br />Also, I think we need to recognize that two parents with full time jobs is the norm, and plan the default system around that reality, just like the current system was planned around the economic realities of a family-farm economy. An opt-out similar to what we do for part time k seems fine in lower grades.TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-24593112984155963472014-06-26T17:34:24.141-07:002014-06-26T17:34:24.141-07:00ben,
Is it really the curriculum? I think princip...ben,<br /><br />Is it really the curriculum? I think principals and teachers set the schedules at each elementary school. As an example, at the K-5 STEM school at Boren kindergarten students have only one recess a day. Is that standard across the district? <br /><br />My children started out in a private school where students in grades K-2 had just 35 minutes for lunch (in the classroom), an hour a day of recess and 100 minutes a day of specialist classes. That left a little over 3 hours a day for reading, writing, math, social studies and science. It was plenty of time.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1243492034185794672014-06-26T16:44:34.788-07:002014-06-26T16:44:34.788-07:00@Lynn, Within our existing curriculum structures y...@Lynn, Within our existing curriculum structures you can have one or the other not both. I.e. you can add back time for lunch / recess / add in other subjects and extend the day OR have a 6.5 hour day. <br /><br />For our family, I'd gladly extend the day to have a guaranteed 45 minute lunch hour. I've got one extremely slow eater but even my faster one often brings home a half eaten lunch due to lack of time.Benjamin Leishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10974191081762367425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-11262424623322410102014-06-26T16:39:26.603-07:002014-06-26T16:39:26.603-07:00TechyMom,
How about all those things in a 6.5 hou...TechyMom,<br /><br />How about all those things in a 6.5 hour school day - with certified teachers paid to provide extra support before or after school to students who need it? (I would not send my early elementary student to a school with a longer day.)Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47190902721828162062014-06-26T15:23:38.692-07:002014-06-26T15:23:38.692-07:00All Day School, with lots of time for recess, eati...All Day School, with lots of time for recess, eating at a leisurely pace, practice and working at your own pace and subjects other than the 3 Rs. Yes, Please! TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.com