tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post2402557340767400699..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Summertime and Homework AssignmentsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-3696429220351751052008-08-06T17:33:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:33:00.000-07:00I LOVE my summers with my kids. I loved summer vac...I LOVE my summers with my kids. I loved summer vacation when I was a kid. It's a right of passage, so to speak. Preparation for a new grade and a fresh start. And so much growth happens over the summer! I wouldn't trade summer vacation for anything in the world. If Seattle ever went to a mandatory year round school program, I would go private. If they tried year round, I would hope that it would be only a few "choice" schools, as I do think that it (might???) benefit at risk and lower achieving students, but I'd have to see some data to back that up.anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03716725891562757052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4546053160517077502008-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:002008-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:00"Is 6 weeks in the summer enough of a break? ..."Is 6 weeks in the summer enough of a break? Would it keep the learning levels higher?" No. What happens when the summer is six weeks long is that the other vacation days are spaced out, usually amounting to a one week or so break after each of four periods. Studies show that most forgetting happens in the first week or so of vacation & then drops off dramatically after that. Spacing out vacations over the school year allows students to "forget" and be brought back up to speed four times a year instead of just once. My experience in a Texas school that followed that schedule was that less material was taught and appropriate student behaviors had to be retaught after every vacation.Babbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11152952119296267993noreply@blogger.com