Schools as Learning Orgs:Independence LO14374

Bill Harris (billh@lsid.hp.com)
Wed, 16 Jul 1997 08:33:54 -0800 (PDT)

Replying to LO14356 --

Joe DiIVncenzo wrote:

> This came across to me to mean that unless the school year is increased,
> we cannot have improvement in the schools. Good grief, I hope this was a
> misinterpretation on my part. There's so much that can be done now

Ouch! In rereading it, it does sound like that's what I wrote; that's
_not_ what I meant.

I agree that there's much that can be done without changing the length of
the school year, and I don't know if lengthening the school year would
help or hurt.

I was just trying to suggest that, in the face of increasing comments in
the press and in the message to which I was replying suggesting a longer
school year, (at least certain) students gain certain benefits from the
time off in the summer. One could argue those benefits are compensatory
mechanisms, correcting for deficiencies in the schools, but I'm not
totally convinced. Furthermore, _should_ people decide to go towards a
longer school year, I would suggest they think about what unfavorable
effects that might have and work on ways to ameliorate those.

I also recognize certain disadvantages of the 9 month/3 month system we
currently have in most of the USA, specifically the problems that makes
for two wage-earner families with children at home who now have more
daycare issues with which to deal. I also know that we spend significant
time in the schools each fall reviewing material the students have
(supposedly) forgotten during the summer. Not being a teacher, I can't
really comment on how widespread this is nor how needed it is.

My gut reaction is that I like the flexibility that the summer school
vacation provides to pursue learning opportunities that may never be
available in the public schools.

Sorry for the miscommunication. I hope this is better.

Bill

-- 
Bill Harris                             Hewlett-Packard Co. 
R&D Engineering Processes               Lake Stevens Division 
domain: billh@lsid.hp.com               M/S 330
phone: (425) 335-2200                   8600 Soper Hill Road
fax: (425) 335-2828                     Everett, WA 98205-1298 


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