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| Welcome to "The Red Lake School's Debate on an Extended Calendar |
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| Red Lake Parent Response: I think that it is a great idea and will probably reduce the crime during the summer months as well. Even though we would like for the kids to retain what they have learned, we must also ensure that they are being taught at a level that is equal to surrounding schools. I do now once again have 2 teen children attending Red Lake High as they were attending Trek North and that school does not offer any sports. So, they transferred back and it sounds like things are going good for them. I also have 4 in the Elementary/Headstart this year. My Response: Thank you for commenting, and agreeing to the change. So far, aside from my 12 year old daughter who hates the idea, I haven't heard from anyone disliking the idea. But it's early yet. My daughter didn't do much during this last year's 3 months off from school--stay up late and sleep late, watch MTV, do unconstructive things on the computer--and it bothered me. For many of her friends, it was the same story. And during the first PT Conferences, she went from As down to Cs and even a D. That really got to me. And if that's happening to her and some of her friends, there has to be changes made. Yes, you're probably right about crime reduction, too. I didn't really think about that until now. And in the long run I think once kids get used to it, they'll all have something to do, with just as much time away from school as before. They just have to see that. Glad to hear your teen daughters are back up here and it's working out for them. There has been a lot of fights going on in the Middle and High School. We're addressing those issues, too. From what I'm hearing, it has a lot to do with technology these days--texting, social websites, peer pressures. We talked about software that could block cell phone usage within a certain area of the school, along with cutting off all cell phones from entering the school by students. We got along fine without cell phones in my day, and I'm sure they could get along without it during that time period, too. |
| Red Lake Parent/Teacher Response: I am just writing to give my take on the new school schedule. I don’t think the kids will be there, that is [the] only thing that has us in AYP is the attendance, so do we want to stay in there forever? Or do we want to get out. I am talking as a parent and a teacher on this, I know my kid won't want to come to school in the summer. My Response: Thank you for commenting, ------. I understand what you are saying--but if this schedule is approved, or a similar one, the kids will "have" to be there. We're working with the Courts on truancy issues. And I think the kids don't understand the possibilities of this change. We were talking about having different types of classes when the weather is good--maybe more hands-on with such things as our lakes and forests. And we could have even more sports in the summer--little league and summer baseball and other things. My daughter was mad at me about the calendar, too--but she will "have" to go. And she will probably get used to it once it happens--if it happens. All summer long she didn't do a heck of a lot around home here but stay up late, sleep during the day, watch TV, be on the computer, and things that were a waste of time, in my opinion. Then, this first semester her grades were way down from the As and Bs she was getting last year. Once again thanks for commenting, and at some point I'll probably publish these findings--without names and other ID information--just to show the responses to everyone else and provide some reasoning. |
| The following are some comments about Red Lake School District considering an extended school calendar in the future. This is a work in progress...feel free to comment by emailing me at mbarrett@rlnn.com |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: I am in support of a year-round calendar. I have many colleagues in other states that teach in year-round schools and love it. Although there is not a lot of evidence yet that year-round schools make a big impact on test scores, students have made more progress with this schedule in poverty and ELL schools. There is not a lot of organized research yet into whether year-round school increases learning. However, there are countless studies that support the findings that there is a significant loss of learning in reading and especially in math over the summer months. (Education Week, Year-Round Schooling; published Sept.10, 2004) A year-round schedule also increases the attendance of teachers who do not need to take days off for appointments. Students learn more when their teacher is present to deliver the instruction. This also saves the district money in substitutes. Please contact staff and parents in these year round schools and ask them. I have only heard positive reports. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: "Well people in China go all year (or is it Japan?) and we wonder why they are part of the most technologically advanced industry. I say do it ! |
| Red Lake Parent Response: i think it's a excellent idea.. I told Brent they should have it.. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: I wanted to express a concern over the calendar that included summer days. In most of the [high school] we don’t have AC [air conditioning] and the kids get lethargic with the heat. Many rooms do not have windows to even get fresh air. In addition, our senior high students tend to not attend well near the very end of the year. Thus, I worry they will have very poor attendance over the summer months as they can drive, attend pow-wows, visit family on their own, etc. I cannot speak for the elem. or middle levels. My Response: Thank you for commenting, -----, and that was one of the things brought up about the summer months, having heard the complaints from the elementary school. This is something we would take care of with air conditioning. And I do understand the attendance issues. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: I like the idea of closing the gap. I vote in favor of this change. |
| Red Lake Teacher/Parent Response: I do not like it at all. Many teachers take classes in summer including me! How can I continue my education with no time to do it? There are many teachers that have summer jobs to make ends meet and this calendar would not allow that. Teacher take home pay is anywhere from 600 to 1100 per payday twice a month and they need to have their summer jobs or school to improve their family. The school would have to have air conditioning! During the regular school year my room is very hot and humid and not comfortable at all. Students stay up too long in the summer months and will have a harder time getting to school. I teach summer school and know that there are only a certain amount of kids that even like coming in the summer. I wish that this calendar would have been presented to the teachers first, at least to give a heads up. I am very involved in school issues and this is the first time I have seen it. I knew there was a discussion of adding days and changing the calendar to starting earlier and that is understandable. A sooner start would also bridge the gap. The amount of days was not changed just spread out. Are we ever going to use teacher input? We really do know the kids. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: As an member living off the rez I thought I’d send you my opinion. I researched this a little and found that the school districts in other states find this type of schedule to be very effective, giving the students the same amount of time off but spreading out the school year. With a shorter summer break students have less time to get “bored” and getting more time off during the holidays is a bonus. Another plan added to this type of school schedule is having school start an hour to and hour and a half later, therefore the school day runs later in the afternoons. The conclusion here is that the students are actually more ready to learn when not having to get up early. Both options have been tried and tested to work very well. I think this schedule is worth a shot and should be implemented for a couple of years and can be studied and researched during this time period. Never know, the Red Lake school district could be the leader in setting a precedent on newer and better ways to educate our children. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: I really like this idea and I hope it goes through because my kids get kind of bored during the long summer; they both love school so this sounds goodJ. My Response: Thanks for commenting, -----, and thanks for supporting it. So far, those "not" in support of it, have been a few teachers. And I agree with you on kids being bored during the summer--my daughter just stayed up late, sleep during the day, watched TV and played around on the computer. She was always saying she was bored, so I'd try to get her to do something--like cleaning up, which didn't set too well with her, either. And she always liked school, too--but when I showed her the calendars, she didn't like the idea. I think she just needs to understand and get used to something like this. Then there are the possibilities of doing more things outdoors during the summer, like field trips to the lake, being out in our forests, and a [lot] of other innovative ideas teachers could use to make learning more enjoyable. Someone even said that crime would probably go down, as well. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: There is very little evidence that these sorts of schedules do any better for the students. The only gain is less review time from year to year. What most don’t realize is that this review time is a good thing. Long term memory needs constant reinforcement and review will help that. Once locked into long term memory kids don’t forget. 3 months 10 months it doesn’t matter. All we will avoid is a chance to lock things into long term memory. Ask yourself when you learned to read did you forget over the summer. When you learned to add did you forget over the summer? We can’t teach without review' it is a constant building block. Good teaching locks it in, not the schedule in which it is taught. I would caution you and all the members to really research this, for I think you will find that in a school that is already being dinged for attendance it will only get considerably worse when we expect our kids to go to school in June and July. If you study our attendance trends now you will see that our attendance gets considerably worse in late April and May. In fact if we could take those two months out we would probably look okay for our average daily attendance, what will it be like when we add June and July into the mix. I think you will find attendance only gets worse not better. In a district where attendance is probably our greatest concern we would be taking a huge step backwards! Just my opinions feel free to share them with the rest of the board. My Response: Thank you for commenting,Mr. --------. I do understand some of what you are stating, and yes, we are still doing the research on this. But wouldn't you agree that this is at least worth a shot? A lot of kids I know do nothing all summer long but stay up late, sleep all day, watch TV, and play around on computers or video games--while some even get in trouble because they feel they have nothing better to do at the time. And as far as attendance goes, we are always watching this, and our intent is to really get tough on it. We can if we had the cooperation of the Courts and the Tribe--which I'm sure we eventually will have. There are a lot of innovative ways to teach, also--which would allow for a lot of outside activities in June and July. The Teacher's Second Response: Thank you very much for your quick and timely response! Let me preface my response by saying this does not directly effect me because I work a majority of the summer already, but to answer your question I personally feel that we are putting the cart before the horse here. Attendance has always been an issue in the Red Lake school district! We have been hearing for years that the attendance will improve with the involvement of the tribe and the courts. No one has been able to show us how that is going to change. Without real and decisive action it is of my personal opinion that it needs to be proven first. It goes back to the old adage "we can't teach to an empty seat". I think that long before any such drastic measures should take place the attendance issues need to be solved! Simply lengthening the school year certainly will not fix that and by all the trends will probably make the matter worse. I am in and out of classrooms all day long and I know first hand we have many quality teachers, they should be given a chance to teach to students that are there everyday and see how scores and retention improve. If at that point, we don't see real improvement then maybe it is time to look at other measures. To your point about a lot of kids do nothing all summer, staying up late, sleeping all day, and some getting in trouble. That is an issue for the families and the tribe not just for the district. We have that issue with many of our students now during the school year. A great solution would be to team with tribe on summer activities where we could sneak in some learning with out it feeling like school. There are many successful programs around that do just that. In my opinion the tribe needs to really step in and give our students fun, healthy, activities through the summer and the entire year for that matter that aren't school and give the kids that want to be active the ability to do so. Asking a child to come to school in July on a 90 degree day creates even more challenges for our teachers. We should be looking to improve the learning environment and again just stretching out the year in my humble opinion does not address that at all. Mr. Barrett many teachers and support staff supplement there income during the summer months in order to make ends meet for there own families. A schedule such as the ones proposed would eliminate that possibility for many of them. For others it creates day care expenses that they otherwise would not have. If this is truly something the district wants to go forward with they need to take those issues into consideration. If the staff is not behind it completely, it will fail. We have made some pretty significant changes recently. That teamed with real truancy reform and with family and tribal involvement this district could make some real substantial improvements. These should be given a full chance to succeed before any such scheduling changes should be made. Lets get the kids in school now and give our teachers, staff and students a real chance to show just how good they can be. Again thank you so much for your time and consideration! |
| Red Lake Parent Response: I like the calendar on rlnn...make sure you check on the school dates against pow wow dates...especially Red Lake Pow wows, because you know we pow wow late. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: From a conversation on Facebook... ----- true-but how can you get students to attend school for 12 mos--when 9 mos is a challenge? If you started now maybe in 3 to 4 years they would become accustom. My Response: There are no additional student days for the students at all on this calendar,just that those days are spread out over the year. They would still have an entire month off in August. And in June and July, 4 days a week. Add to that some innovative teaching methods and a lot of activities could take place outside--giving students hands on experience in a lot of things such as the environment, our natural resources, and culture... I think if education offered more than just sitting in a classroom all day, maybe they would enjoy it more and want to learn.. And this calendar is just an idea right now--something we are exploring as just one means to provide our children with a better education. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: As a teacher in the Red Lake School District I am in support of an extended school year. There is not a ton of research on the concept but I feel it is something our students need. I feel our students will be a lot more successful if we were to extend our calendar. I have many colleagues in other areas of the U.S. who do year-round school and love it. I really like the idea of 9 weeks on and 3 weeks off. You will have a lot less absences with staff if this were the case. Doctor appointments and other personal things could be made during the 3 week breaks. This would save the district money in substitute teachers. I have heard nothing but positives from other districts who do year-round school. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: Thank you for the opportunity to respond with my opinion regarding the year-round calendar proposal. Based on attendance trends in my own class, I am not confident stretching the calendar will benefit our students as intended. As I am sure you are aware, attendance is an issue teachers are being held accountable for -setting attendance SMART goals as both a building goal and a professional goal. However, I do not feel it is a goal I can accomplish simply because I do not have the authority to do so. I had hoped our school would be helped in this area by those in the tribe that held such authority. Time has proven otherwise. Ultimately, we have no recourse. I can't help but think that perhaps 70% or more of our third-graders would have passed the MCA's, in the area of Math especially, had students in MY class not been in violation of the tribe's attendance code. A close look at the MCA data and NWEA data for my class will directly link poor attendance to poor test scores. I feel strongly that we must first see our attendance trend change before confidence can be placed in the success of a year-round calendar, because the data also shows that those students who do come and participate in school are being successful! I greatly encourage you to consider attendance interventions to be the first and foremost issue before the consideration of the year-round calendar proposals. Thank you for your help and consideration in this matter. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: Just wanted to say that I think the extended schedule for school is a good idea. Students would be able to build more on what they learned in a previous grade more immediately, rather than having to relearn some basics before doing so and that could improve the district’s scores. But also, it gets the kids into a routine which is more “real world” where there is no three month break to speak of, but rather shorter breaks throughout the year, if any. This could help their overall work ethic and really benefit them when it comes to college and jobs. I like the fact that it’s not super strict, also… With the longer breaks here and there, and the summer months being 4 days a week, rather than 5. I would like this schedule to go into our work schedule for the tribe too! lol… Three day weekends all summer would be great. =) |
| Red Lake Parent Response: Apparently, you and the rest of the school board have forgotten what it was like to be a kid. Those three months off were something to look forward to. Kids need a break from the drudgery of getting up early and sitting in a classroom all day. And it would be especially hard on a nice, warm summer day. Also, the parents and grandparents (like us, who are raising young kids) need a break. Summer is a time for family vacations, a time to get away for some quality time together. We, for one, like to take our grandkids on road trips, camping in the mountains, national parks, and driving through the desert southwest. Building memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Just as we did with our sons. Maybe the problem is not the length of the school year but the curriculum. I'll give you an example. My grandson is now in the second grade. Last year his spelling homework consisted of 5 and 6 letter words, which he did very well on. So I would give him extra words, consisting of 8 to 10 letter words. He also did very well on these and loved the challenge of sounding them out. This year, his spelling homework consists of 3 letter words! And they give him two of them! His math homework is just as simple. What happened? Is this the way the school district is trying to bring the test scores up? By simplifying things? Maybe you should look into what the teachers are teaching instead. Don't take away the chance for the kids to spend time with their families. Let kids be kids and enjoy their summer! I know I did. Didn't you? My Response: Thanks for your response, -----, it is very much appreciated. And no, I have not forgotten what it was like to be a kid, but I do remember how boring life was around here during that 3 months there was no school, too. Not there there wasn't a few things to do. Anyway, the calendar is only one idea to try and make our schools better. It hasn't been decided upon, and won't be until it is thought out and researched more--along with the opinions of the public. |
| Red Lake Teacher Response: I am writing in regard to the topic of the year-round school calendar that is being proposed. There is much research on this topic, with significant amounts to support and refute. What is most important to me is how it will affect students at Red Lake. The proposed calendar does not suggest any additional days, but rather additional breaks throughout the school year. This concerns me, because the very most difficult days to teach are the “first” days and “last” days before or after a break. Breaks are tough for teachers and students because of the excitement that comes along with it. It would be like Christmas 4 times every year. Coming back from Christmas break is almost like coming back from summer break for the kids. This concept in itself promotes academic loss, it is just spread out over the school year. In addition to this is the research from von Hippel that says, quote, “…if a school is considering a year-round calendar in hope of boosting academic achievement, it seems unlikely that those hopes will be realized.” Science Daily Other things to consider: • The district would still be potentially busing students for athletics throughout these breaks. • Students would not be able to participate in traditional summer programs/leagues (softball/baseball/basketball/golf) • Students would not be able to take advantage of summer jobs • Daycare for short intervals of time Personal Suggestion/Not necessarily the opinion of anyone other than myself The calendar could remain the same with student contact days running approximately September through May. Students that are not making satisfactory progress or have not met the attendance goals can be mandated to attend summer academies that are offered in June, July and August. These academies could have an academic focus, but could also include activities that would interest the kids. There is a cost to this option, but if we truly want to improve students achievement levels we must increase the instruction time, not just spread it out. Mandating summer school for students that are not achieving would also encourage students to do their best on the tests in the spring and would give us a more accurate measure of what our students really know. |
| Red Lake Teacher(s) Response: As a team from the Red Lake Elementary School, we are submitting our thoughts to the proposed year around school calendar. We have listed what we consider to be the pros and cons for students and families of the Red Lake Nation. PROS: • Research does say the summer learning gap for English Language Learners and low income communities improves with a year round school calendar. • If highly supported by the community a year round school calendar could bring students back to our district who are currently attending surrounding districts through open enrollment. CONS: • Minnesota State Law requires all students to be 5 years old before September 1, to enter Kindergarten. With school starting in June how will that effect enrollment the first year with the proposed year round school calendar? • Enrollments in the surrounding districts are going to be the traditional 9 month calendar, will this effect enrollment for our own district? • There will be child care issues with the proposed year round school calendar if parent schedules with work do not align. • In talking with Head Start staff, we learned that attendance was an issue as they went into the summer months of June and July. • Most opportunities for staff pursuing a higher education or continuing education credits are primarily offered during the summer months. • Students involved in summer recreational activities will miss out on those opportunities or will enroll in other districts that will allow them to participate. Typically these students are the higher achieving students at Red Lake Elementary School. • If not highly supported by the community a year round school calendar could cause more students to open enroll to a district that offers a traditional calendar. In closing, research states, the number one indicator in student achievement is the effectiveness of the teacher and the staff development that is provided to the educator, not an extended or a year round school calendar. As teachers, we fully support the desire of the community, with the hope that Red Lake’s high achieving students will return to our school district. Ultimately, the Red Lake Nation needs to make and fully support any decision regarding the school year calendar. |
| Red Lake Teacher(s) Response: Dear Red Lake Board Members, We are writing this letter to express our concerns about the extended school year calendar being proposed. First off we would like to say we agree with the letters that were submitted by --- ----------- to Mike Barrett. Our concerns and data are offered herein so that a hasty decision in this matter is thwarted and researched in the best interest of our students. • Traditionally in the Ojibwe Culture learning time is in the winter, for example storytelling. Rich culture takes place in summer with various ceremonies, powwows, holiday vacations and traditional gatherings. An extended year calendar does not support the culture with in which our children live. • Increase in gang activity • Only 5 % of schools in the nation are on an extended school year calendar. • In a lawsuit entitled White vs. the State of California, a part of the settlement, which names the year-round calendar among the detriments imposed on minority children, the state of California has agreed to phase out the multi-track (extended) calendar altogether. • Red Lake Teachers have documented that prime learning occurs in January, February and March. • Time off before state testing would be detrimental to MCA scores. • According to research in 2 states, test scores have declined when moving away from a traditional calendar. • States with the largest year round school enrollments perform the worst on national assessment according to the National Assessments of Educational Progress (NAEP). • Over 200 schools in California have tried and rejected the extended calendar and returned to a traditional calendar. • Declines in enrollment have been documented in year round schools. Students will go to other area schools. • Increased Busing Issues. • A sporadic schedule is not conducive to routines for students to function at their best. • A mental health consequence is shrinking hours of downtime for children to be children. The summer breaks offer the time needed for other kinds of learning that is important to growth and development. • Are community members and other stakeholders going to be allowed to vote on this issue? • If school starts in June, does that mean 4 year olds can start Kindergarten before September first? The state law is that children need to be five years of age by September first. • Day care issues for parents and staff. |
| Red Lake Teacher(s) Response: Dear Board Members: I, along with other teachers I have spoken to, oppose the extended year school calendar. It’s felt that disrupting the student’s traditional school year could not only be confusing but detrimental . Below I have outlined some local concerns along with information found on this website: http://www.summermatters.com/research%20paper.htm, and http://www.summermatters.com/impstudies.htm 1. Working parents will have to find childcare for sporadic times during the year and many students may end up home alone. 2. Childcare will be an obstacle for teachers as well. We could lose some wonderful teachers due to this. 3. New teachers will be harder to recruit and retain. Why would a new teacher choose to teach year round when other schools in the area get a traditional summer break? 4. Training for teachers in the summer would be difficult to schedule. The chances of a desired training occurring during a particular break is slim. 5. Attendance would suffer in the summer due to temperature, even with air conditioning. This would in turn make test scores and grades suffer. For instance: 1.4 - Health, Safety, Crime and the Year-Round Calendar Children on the year-round calendar face greater health risks, according to a citizens’ report to the Fresno Unified School District in California. Sending children to school in August, when temperatures are the highest and air quality the poorest, poses long-term health consequences to youngsters whose lungs are still developing, and particularly creates problems for those with allergies and asthma, the report says, using information from the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Lung Association, The National Weather Service and the San Joaquin Air Pollution control District. [22] 6. Districts with year round schools have seen an increase in gang activity. Students have sporadic breaks and may be home unsupervised and looking for something to do. See below: 1.4 - Health, Safety, Crime and the Year-Round Calendar Correlations between the year-round calendar and a rise in gang activity and juvenile crime have been made. Though the information is anecdotal, it should raise concerns. Officials with the largest gang monitoring agency in the nation in Los Angeles, which for three decades has been the nation’s largest year-round school district, note a parallel rise between the growth of gangs in that city and the growth of year-round schools. A citizens’ report presented Nov. 18, 1993 to the Florida Facilities Task Force along with a petition against year-round school signed by hundreds of Florida parents from across the state [23] provides some chilling information from Ed Turley, deputy director of Community Youth and Gang Services, a group that works with 42 Los Angeles schools to prevent gang activity. “We’re very concerned with the impact of the track system,” Turley said. “I’m sure if there were a study done, it would show it was a contributing factor to the development of gangs and the increase in gang violence.” The summary of the interview with Turley says: “Growth of gangs in LA mushroomed in the early 1970s, coincidentally, around the time year-round schools were implemented…Recruitment of gang members begins as young as 3rd and 4th grade, Turley said. Because of the year-round schedule, identifying truant children in LA is a problem….Malls have become hangouts for many latchkey children and teenagers. During one [school] break early last year (1992), hundreds of youngsters wandering one mall suddenly broke into a frenzy, looting stores and smashing windows.” [24] That the frequent breaks of the year-round school create day care problems for working parents, especially the working poor, is frequently cited in news accounts. The year-round calendar can exacerbate the already serious problem of latchkey children. [25] 7. Confusion for students, parents, and teachers regarding when we do or don’t have school. This could also lead to school days missed and hurt our attendance. 8. Lower test scores. Here is excerpt from a study done in California: 1.3 - Evidence of Academic Disappointments and Detriments Correlations between the year-round calendar and lower academic performance have been found many places throughout the nation, but especially in California. A study released in February 2001 by the California Teachers Association, Comparison of the Lowest Decile Schools to the Highest Decile Schools Under the Academic Performance Index, found: • 58 percent of elementary schools scoring in the lowest decile on achievement tests were year-round schools compared to just 3 percent of the highest decile schools. • 33 percent of middle schools scoring in the lowest decile were year-round schools compared to just 1 percent of the highest decile schools. • 34 percent of high schools in the lowest decile were year-round schools while no year-round schools were in the highest decile. [21] Testimony in the Williams lawsuit, discussed later in this paper, shows children on a multi-track calendar that places them in school in the hottest part of the year have the poorest academic record of the five tracks, while the track with a longer summer break that most resembles a traditional school year produces the highest test scores. The single-track year-round calendar also forces children to attend classes in the hottest months of the year. 2.4 The Williams v. California Lawsuit & the Multi-track Education Inequities The most dramatic and detailed case against the year-round calendar to date is the Williams v. California lawsuit that is winding its way through the courts. The Williams case, brought by the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund and other civil rights groups, charges that the state’s education funding system creates education inequities that are disproportionately imposed on minorities, and names among those education inequities the “academically damaging multi-track year-round calendars.” [70] All children placed on multi-track schedules do less well than children in traditional calendar schools or even single-track year-round schools, but the Concept 6 children perform the worst, education researcher Ross Mitchell testified. [71] Mitchell, in his sworn testimony, said the state acknowledged the educational inferiority of the multi-track calendar when it made allowances in the State’s Academic Performance Index for schools using a multi-track calendar. “State policy designates the multi-track year-round calendar as an indicator of academic performance risk (i.e., it is expected to have a negative impact on achievement. In other words, after accounting for differences in the distribution of individual student and family characteristics, as well as teacher qualifications, between multi-track-year round calendar and traditional/single-track year-round calendar schools, the multi-track year-round calendar is independently associated with an additional achievement penalty.” [72] Mitchell’s statewide analysis of year-round schools found greatest gaps in achievement between traditional calendar/single track schools and the Concept 6 multi-track calendar. But even schools with multi-track calendar versions other than the Concept 6 did not perform as well as traditional/single track groups. [73] In summary, there are many issues with an extended school year calendar that need to be considered. Please give serious and careful thought to the above points when deciding what is best for the students of the Red Lake School District. Thank you for taking time to read this. |
| Red Lake Teacher(s) Response: I am writing in response with concerns about the proposed extended school year. I agree with Ken Perreault's letter that he sent to Michael Barrett. This is a major undertaking that needs to be fully researched before a final decision is made. We need to provide our students with the most productive learning environment and not be pressured into the idea of year-round school in a desperate effort to raise test scores. I have spent many hours researching data that has been compiled about the failures and difficulties of the year-round school calender. Many of the reasons I am stating are backed with a decade or more of research. (I have sent each board member a packet of information, at my expense, of the factual data I have listed below so you can read it. It should be arriving in a couple of days.) Please take the time to read the facts on http://www.summermatters.com. Good information can be found on History & Hype, Fallacies & Fact, Flawed Research, Test Scores, and Reject List. * Year-round education is not a new idea, but a failed school reform from the early 1900's. * Steady decline in test scores. States with largest number of year-round enrollment perform the worst on tests---year-round school failed to deliver on claims that it would make a difference in student performance. * Detrimental impact on learning--no evidence of achievement advantage. * The poorest performers in reading proficiency are those states that have the largest number of year-round schools. * "Modified-calendar" schools enroll about 5% of all K-12 students. Less than 2% of the nations schools have bought into the idea. Two lawsuits filed in California over education inequities charge the year-round school calendar is "academically damaging". * The stop-and-start year-round schedule does not improve school performance or test scores. * Poor attendance in the summer and schools lose state aid. * Year-round calendars that contain short intermissions, with students receiving remediation may have hardly a break at all. This can cause serious burnout. * Summer vacation would be shortened and summer activities would be limited. Some of these activities are many forms of outdoor recreation-including pow wows, summer jobs for students and teachers, visits to relatives, summer schools for students and teachers. The "way of life" of the people in the community would be affected. * Psychologists are expressing concern about the mental health consequences of shrinking hours of down time for children to be children. The long summer break offers the time needed for other kinds of learning that is important to growth and development. * Changing the school calendar increases the problem of latchkey children because it is difficult for working parents to find daycare for short vacation periods. * Public backlash and parent anger over disruptive year-round calendar that forced their children into hot classrooms. * Cost of operating schools in the heat of summer with air conditioning, unstable energy prices, school transportation. * The main beneficiaries of calendar change appear to be the year-round school consultants who charge as much as $1700 a day to school districts willing to waste more time and money. * On paper, year-round school looks promising but what looks good in theory doesn't necessarily work in practice. * Today's calendar is not obsolete. Industrial competitors, lile Japan, are adjusting their calendars to resemble that of American schools. The staff at the Red Lake School District have implemented many new programs and we are working very hard to provide the best learning environment for our students. Our reading and math scores at the elementary have increased and we have procedures in place to improve our attendance. The attendance issues need the support of families, staff, administrations, school board, bus drivers, tribal courts and any one else who can make a positive impact on getting our students to school. I think we have had a great start this fall at Red Lake Elementary. The staff has put in countless hours preparing and implementing the programs we already have in place. The decisions on the year-round calendar seem rushed, especially considering that it is a drastic change to everyone's life and not enough research has been done. I think we need time to see the results of the programs already in place and not jump into something else, that shows by research and data, is being rejected because it FAILS. "Record numbers of school districts are rejecting the idea of year-round calendar either after sad experiences or after careful study in which they reach the conclusion that the calendar is a bad idea." We need to learn from the mistakes of other schools, who have tried the year-long calendar, so we can save time, money and not put our students and staff into a stretch school year. The students in Red Lake Elementary have opportunities to be involved in summer programs and this could be expanded with the community so students have more choice. The traditional summer gives children "down time" outside the regular school year re-establish bonds with family, friends, participate in hobbies & sports. The long stress free time away from school can be used to create, invent, and imagine. They can just be kids. "Learning is not exclusive to the classroom. It is a natural and continuous human process that occurs in and out of school." "After a decade of research and looking at year-round school testing data our conclusion is this in a nutshell: When it comes to school achievement. . .the Traditional School Year is STILL the Best Educational Bang for the Buck!" I want to thank you for letting me share my thoughts about the issue of year-round school. |
| Red Lake Teacher(s) Response: As a team, we are submitting our thoughts on the issue of year-round school calendar for students of the Red Lake Nation. Research * “The difference in the amount of forgetting after 4 weeks or 12 is not significant, especially when it is recognized that some of the information has been taught almost a year earlier in the previous fall. In fact, one could argue that a year-round calendar, with its multiple 3-week breaks, simply offers more opportunity to forget.” - Chris Newland, professor of psychology, Auburn University * NAEP reports that “States with the largest and longest running year -round school programs are found at the bottom of the performance rankings on National Tests. In fact 3 of the 5 states with the largest enrollments of year -round students dominate the lost of poorest performers in the NAEP Reading Exam. * “The swelling number of latchkey kids created by a year-round calendar also pose additional health and safety hazards for children. The year-round calendar with it’s frequent breaks creates serious child care problems for working parents. It swells the numbers of children left home alone. Unsupervised time is the breeding ground for juvenile crime, drug experimentation, and teenage pregnancy.” www.summermatters.com *”Officials who monitor gang activity in Los Angeles, which has some of the nation’s worst gang problems, have told us you can draw a parallel line between the growth of year-round schools and the growth of gangs there.” www.summermatters.com * Yardsticks (a guide for the growth and development of children) quotes “10 year olds need a great deal of physical activity. Large muscles for jumping, running and other big movements are developing quickly. Extra playtime is a must for students at this age! Outdoor play is critical for 5th grade/10 year-olds.” * “A traditional calendar offers more opportunity to learn because learning is a building process.” www.summermatters.com *After a century of year-round school experiments and hundreds of studies, there is no credible body of evidence to show a year-round calendar improves school performance.” www.summermatters.com Other Thoughts on the “Cons” of Year-Round Calendar: * A year-round calendar diminishes the continuing education and staff development opportunities for staff in the summer. * A year-round calendar causes day-care issues for staff. It is a pay-cut for those teachers who would not see a pay raise yet would need to start paying for child care in the summer. * Students enrolled in school in the summer would miss out on “immersion camps”. * Students enrolled in school in the summer would miss the “Mideiwin” and Sundance Summer Ceremonies. * Students enrolled in school in the summer would out on summer programs such as softball. * A possible decline in enrollment would be seen due to students transferring to other schools in order to get summers off to be on the same schedule as older siblings who attend school in other districts. * Students would miss out on the wonderful Targeted Services program that is offered now that allows students to experience lessons and projects that teach them to be global citizens. Ideas: * Existing summer programs could be “beefed up”. - every student in the Targeted Services program would receive reading and math tutoring each day of the program with a teacher to student ratio of no more than 1:4. - teachers could teach to their interest and knowledge base where a “community education” type situation could be established and students could choose sessions that interested them. Ideas for the sessions would stem from teacher expertise and lessons that would further the “life” experience of the students. - the money used to fund the cost of year-round school could be applied to areas where there is already a proven need such as : money to help each student who is in need, get and keep glasses, a licensed school psychologist, more teachers for reduced class sizes, etc… |
| Red Lake Former Student Response: Taking a look at the whole thing looks rediculous! I cant believe redlake is the only district in the whole STATE to try and have a full year of school, with these 2 week breaks inbetween? Please!.... i dont like the look of it, its to distracting for these kids who already cant make it too school in the fall and winter times, how does the school board expect these kids to go to school in the summer? thats what i want to know, a calendar is only days, but how is the staff actually going to improve the grades of these children? it upsets me that our school board is actually considering something so unintentionally stupid! What the school board needs to take a look at is how the staff is treating our native kids and the values that the staff should know pertaining to our culture and our needs as people. i worked within the high school system for about a year, and not once did i see a school board member attend any of the classes, why is that? is the school board only elected to sit in on meetings? why arent they involved with the kids also? they make the rules and they expect results, but the results never come through, its very disappointing. listen to the staff, they are the ones dealing with the kids day in and day out, you will get your answer from them. have a great day! My Response: Thank you for responding, Mr. ----, your comments are very much appreciated and will certainly be used help make an educated decision(s). The calendar is just a sample at this point, something that "could" become a reality in the future. It hasn't came up for a vote yet; we are weighing all the options for the betterment of the students. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: I think this would be an excellent choice not only would it help our children from losing what they learn with having the traditional three months off. It would also mean that our children would be far more advanced in their education and set them apart from the rest. This would be greatly beneficial for the tribe who have a vested interest in our children’s education because they are the tribe’s future leaders. Keep up the good work. |
| Red Lake Parent/District Employee Response: I’ve heard some discussion regarding this new school calendar. The majority of the people that I have personally heard talk about this would like the calendar to remain the same. I think there will have to be a reservation wide vote on this to please everyone. And this is only my opinion. Shelda A lot of people make plans for summer vacation. Some of the kids go to visit relatives that they don’t see all year and so forth. For my own selfish reasons I love to have nothing to do for three months except go to the casino or to visit my sisters who don’t live on the reservation. |
| Red Lake Parent/District Employee Response: There is absolutely no way our people will benefit from this schedule. First of all the long breaks will cause many students to slowly come back to school. The summer is no time to keep Native students whose parents attend pow wows, visit relatives and do other things. This school district already suffers from attendance problems and this will be the route to end up closing our schools. Personally if my daughter wasn’t going to be a senior next year, I would move her out of the district and I think a lot of people who have the means will do the same. It isn’t that I don’t understand that students don’t retain after being out of school for a couple months. We have provided targeted services for the month of June and also now 21st Century runs year around. Although parents can opt to send students both Red Lake and Ponemah had huge numbers this past summer. Both these programs are hands on and the students who attend do way better in school. I also wonder how many teachers really want to do year around school? In my opinion, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Again I will say that we can’t get students to school as it is and the teachers are the last people who are asked about what they think. I am greatly opposed to this idea. My Response: Thank you for your opinion, -----. Now don't get mad at me... How can you say there is no way our people will benefit from an extended calendar if it hasn’t been attempted here yet? What can you show me, stats or whatever, that students coming off a relatively ‘short’ break (not 3 months) will slowly come back to school? Sure a lot of parents attend pow wows, visit relatives during the summers and do a lot of various other activities, but they also work 5 days a week, too, don’t they? The “route to end up closing our schools?” This is already the route we are traveling being a “turn around school”. Would it be better to fire all the teachers and maybe hire half of them back? Would it be better to turn our schools into charter schools? These are actually some ultimatums to our current situation. You aren’t the only one threatening to move your child out of the district should the district adopt an extended calendar. I would surely not want that to happen. Yet on the other hand, just as many parents of students currently ‘not’ in the district, have said they would bring their children “back” to the Red Lake School District. Targeted Services being the answer? You’ll have to really try hard to sell me on that one. And who’s to say during the summer months the district as a whole can’t be more “hands-on” and some new and innovative methods can be utilized to keep a student interested? A lot of teachers have responded to this idea, and the majority seem to be against it--but for all the wrong reasons. These reasons include: summer jobs, second jobs, travel, daycare, just to mention a few. It’s all about “themselves” and appears pretty selfish in my opinion. Very little is being said about the impact it “could” have on our children’s education. A “disaster” waiting to happen? The “disaster” is already here, being labeled a turn around school. The state threatening if certain things aren’t corrected, then the school could be closed down— that’s a disaster “already” happening. And teachers “are” being asked what they think about this, and some are responding, and yes I am aware of our attendance problems. Teachers are now being put under the microscope to prove whether they are good enough to teach in Red Lake—which is something that should have been done a long time ago. A bad teacher doesn’t belong in our district, or any district for that matter, and we intend to do something about it. But take a look at this further, if you will. The calendar is just a sample calendar that was put out there for all to see. We wanted feedback. We wanted to know what people think about it and their reasons. It may never happen, but the idea is out there and “could” happen. As for my opinion, I like the idea very much because it’s like the “real” world when one is no longer in school and has to work to survive. How many people have 3 months off during the summer—except teachers. I like the concept because there isn’t a long downtime when kids are out of school being unproductive. And I also like the idea of having a week or two off during all seasons and not just summer. Some people like to do things in the winter, too. Anyway, thank you for your comments, and somewhere down the line “all” these responses will be published for all to view—without names and IDs—but just to show them and compare the pros with the cons. And if the extended calendar is ever approved, it won’t be because administrators, teachers and other staff members want or don’t want it, it will be for the benefit of the students who “deserve” a quality education. At least that’s my stance on it—love it or hate it—that’s your right. Their Second Response: Mike, it sounds to me that you are completely sold on the idea of year around school. I am only reflecting on what I feel. Teachers in this district are not respected and I hear in your opinion that only teachers get three months of school off. They also are in classrooms with many expectations, problems and needs. By the end of the year they are exhausted. When I am in our schools I see that the Red Lake Elementary school should get awards for what they accomplish. The middle and high school on the other hand are struggling. For instance, a student hit our new music teacher in the back the other day, many of the students are rude to teachers in the classroom and the halls, many students show up when they feel like it. I walk through the schools a couple times a day. I hear what and how the students talk to one another and to the staff. The Dean of students RLHS asked kindly a ninth grader to hurry on up to class. The kid spun around and yelled out ‘fuck you bitch.’ So we can look the other way and pretend that education is important on the reservation but does it reflect who we are and our way of life when students have so much going on they can’t be kind and listen to what is being told? This is a community issue and the Tribal Council needs to decide whether or not they want to hold parents accountable for educational neglect( not sending their children or teens to school) I understand everything you are saying but year around school will not work. We are in AYP due to attendance not the lack of our children’s ability to learn. |
| Red Lake Parent/District Employee Response: I am a new employee ------------ and wanted to touch base with you on some of my experience with a couple of different calendars that might be options for the Red Lake district. I just finished working down in Phoenix and we were going through the same situations that this district is in. We were making some large budget cuts and doing everything that we could to help our school improve in every way possible. In terms of calendar, when I first started in Phoenix we were on a modified year round option with school starting in the first week of August. We continued in 9 week sections with 2 week breaks in between. We then ended school in the 2nd week of June. The problems that we faced were that our students would leave for the 2 week break and would forget the majority of what was learned. We did have similar cultural/language issues with our students going home and not having an opportunity to have the work reinforced. Our teachers decided that a change needed to be made and that we should consider a one week break instead. The next year, the one-week calendar passed and this seemed to work much better. Our students would come back from the break and still have some of the information needed and staff, as well as students, got a much needed break. We were also able to save some money during that time off in terms of operating costs. The students are use to having the summer off and this practice has worked well for as long as we all can remember. There are many people out there that were very successful on a 9 month calendar, and I’m sure you are probably one of them. I think that these are calendar options that our district may want to consider. I know that there are a lot of parents and teachers upset at the idea of losing their summers. There are so many factors that come in to play. Personally, I have a 2 year old and I need to be available during the summer months for childcare. I know that there are many families that depend on that time off for traveling and work opportunities. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: Been doing a lot of thinking about extending school. Myself, I don’t like the idea, most of us that work all year, plan our vacation time around or kids, some of the kids need summer employment to help pay for their school clothing for school in the fall. I don’t have school age children, help raise grandchildren and when they are with me, I have one heck of a time getting them up. Advantages for 9 month employees to have longer time to work. Teachers are prorated, so they don’t have a problem not having a pay check. Will the schools be air conditioned? Or are they now? Cost effective, how much more will it cost to pay salaries, serve school lunch, bus maintenance, etc. My Response: To answer one of your questions, the extended calendar has exactly the same amount of days as a regular calendar--177 student days. There would be no additional costs in salary, food costs, bus maintenance, ect. In fact, we might save money in the long run during the winter months. The schools are set up for air conditioning, and those areas where there are problems with it, would be fixed. There would be some additional costs in doing that. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: Who is going to put AC in the school classrooms and Gym area, it gets very hot here, that’s just not right to expect our children to sit or exercise under these conditions. So you need to come up to a better plan then just extending the school year, Go with longer days, (4day) weeks. And new principals and teachers who have degrees for all the many different diagnosed child behavior Problems. ADHA ADD BIOPOLAR TURRET SYSDROME AUTISM ALCOHOL SYNDROME Drug ABUSE To say a few! Can we depend on the school board to get the help they need. The teachers need to have special teaching degrees. (Extra teaching skills)….. |
| Red Lake Parent Response: My child went to school this summer and did very well. I am all for the extended plan. Of course he didn’t make it every day but did most of the time and he did learn more than usual, I thought... |
| Red Lake Parent Response: Does the School Board or teachers have any stats on the ADHD, FAS, & other health related problems that affect our children's ability to learn? How many children in the Red Lake District have some sort of learning disability? How many teachers are thinking of different ways of teaching the children? Will the cost of running the schools all year around be the same as the 9-month school year? Why can't the schools have classes in the morning that teach them about culture(hunting & trapping, traditional cooking & foods, singing & drumming, fishing, picking berries, telling stories, language, and Red Lake History) and then English, math, and science, etc. in the afternoon? The attendance is that more of an issue for the Middle School &/or High School or all schools? Why not go back to six or seven class periods a day for the high school? This way for the 12th grade student who need a 11th grade English, or 10th grade math they will be able to fit in their schedule where there is a teacher teaching them that subject and they are not teaching themselves in an independent study class. Also with shorter class periods this might help with behavior problems in the classrooms. It would give the teachers X amount of time to cover the material and the students X amount of time to complete work before class ends. Our youth are struggling!!! We need to get parents back involved into the schools. Our youth need our support, courage, and guidance so they can be leaders, teachers, or whatever they want to be. They can be someone with pride of who they are, what they have accomplish and have respect for themselves and others. Our youth need to learn that there is always going to be rules they need to follow whether they like them or not as parents/guardians we need to teach them early and keep teaching them even when they get in their difficult age. They also need a schedule for homework, chores, dinner, and bed time etc so they can learn to manage their time and get things done on time. As adults our employers have a schedule for us that tells what time we start, finish, when we get our breaks, if we get 1/2 hr, hr, or no lunch break. Good Luck, |