10/12/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*10/12/98
Letter: Parents want info on YRS
At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, a number of parents had the opportunity to express their concern about the pending decision by Auburn's Board of Education regarding a potential change in the academic calendar of Auburn City Schools --- a change that would result in a move to what is looselv referred to as Year-Round School (YRS).
Apparently, the main argument forwarded in support of this change is enhanced academic achievement, particularly for students in the ill defined at risk category. Parents expressed justified concerns about the apparent lack of data to indicate that such a change would improve education for our children, at risk or otherwise.
Parents and students also expressed their concerns about the inadequate and rushed public dissemination of information about the potential change, including concerns regarding the short notice, weak advertisement and limiting format of the public forum to beheld on this issue on Monday (tonight) .
Responses from the Council were limited but insightful. Noting the cur rent high-ranked standing of Auburn City Schools in the state and the nation, Councilman Dowdell expressed his opinion that our school system shouldn't be altered without sound reason, a sentiment with which we fully agree. Mayor Ham and Council woman Mathews recognized public concerns and indicated that they are confident that the Board of Education and the Superintendent's office will have the wisdom to make the right decision for our schools.
Unfortunately, we are not so personally familiar with the members of the Board and, as parents of four children, require that our confidence be earned. The committee assembled by Superintendent Martin is just now completing its arduous investigation of the apparent strengths and weaknesses of YRS.
Although we admonish the corruption of an important facts subcommittee report by certain individuals we commend the committee's efforts on the whole. However, we are left to wonder whether all of the committee's work will be thoroughly considered by the Superintendent and the Board. Our confidence is shaken when we see that this year's academic calendar was adjusted in a way that would facilitate a move to YRS as early as Summer 1 999.
Our confidence is shaken when we hear that at least some teachers in the system, many of whom have children in the city schools, have been told not to talk about the issue publicly. Our confidence is shaken when, with all the previous talk about misinformation, the Superintendent's office continually has aired its YRS program every night at 8 on channel 5. This program was produced several months ago --- well before the research by Dr. Martin's committee was completed. It disposes a biased panel "discussion" by local committee members in between parts of a video produced by the National Association for Year-Round Education, an organization that profits from and. hence, has a vested interest in pushing YRS (and in the sale of videos).
Is this wisdom? Or, is this presumption, haste and misdirected zeal by those in which we entrust with our children's education? We urge that the latter one-sided "mis-infomercial" be discontinued and replaced with the full proceedings of the aforementioned public forum. We also recommend that concerned parents consider the information available on the website prepared by the Stop Year-Round school Citizen's Group
(http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa/) .
Charles and Diane SavrdaAuburn
Letter: Areas within system need help
Lynda Rainer has made an excellent point in her letters recently printed in the Opelika-Auburn News and the Auburn Bulletin. The day we stop examining our system because "it (is) as good as it could possibly be" is the day we accept a fallacy in fact. I believe there are many areas within our school system in need of serious examination.
Looking at only a few of our needs, I find that the work begun in block scheduling at the high school level needs to be perfected. At the middle school, questions loom as to how sports and other activities will continue to be handled between out two newly established middle schools. The media centers in all five elementary schools are feeling the effects of growth. The three original schools have been required to give up media resources to the two new schools, and yet, the two new media centers are still barely stocked. Playgrounds at the new schools do not yet exist. P.E. equipment at the new schools is sparse at best. Also, at both elementary and middle school levels (as much as I hesitate to bring up an exhausting subject), I expect the zoning maps are in need of some additional attention. To sum up the situation in non-academic terms --- our plate is full.
Can we risk one more change complicating our current needs? Is it possible that additional charges will only serve as a smoke screen, taking attention away from current school needs? The negative side effects resulting from these current needs are certain to haunt us at a future date. How can we spare the time, energy and money required in implementing another change when the same resources are needed to make what we have "as good as they could possibly be?" How can we possibly consider one more change in the Auburn system when the many changes implemented over the last few years are not yet "as good as it could possibly be?"
Above all, WHAT'S THE RUSH? The focus of our educational administration has unfortunately been misdirected by the imminent decision regarding year round school. If our school board will vote NO to the issue of year-round school (or alternative calendar) in December, I believe school and consumer resources can be redirected in a beneficial rather than disharmonious direction. Please allow our children the benefits of a community working together for the good of total education.
Mvra ThomasAuburn
Letter: YRS has no real benefit
It has been said that a Year-Round School calendar provides continuous learning and reduces forgetting material during the summer. Such a rationale would, (I) suppose, point to the shorter, 7-week summer as the plan to be adopted (several plans have been proposed, with summers ranging from 7 to 11 weeks). As plausible as these ideas sound, the research literature on alternative year calendars, and even on the reduction in forgetting that would occur by shortening summer from 11-12 weeks to 7 weeks, does not support these claims.
I have read much of the material placed in the library by Auburn City Schools regarding year round schooling (and, by the way, school administrators are to be commended for making this available). I've also read other material in the AU library.
Some studies are brief--- 2-3 page reports with detailed tables, charts and statistical analysis. The only conclusion that can be derived from this literature is that no educational benefits can be expected. When one reads past optimistic summaries it is clear that sometimes, there are improvements in student performance, sometimes things don't change and sometimes performance suffers. Make a bet and flip a coin. The outcome cannot be relied upon. Details can be found at
http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa
Some studies identify benefits to at-risk children, and if these were significant, then such a plan would be worthwhile. Unfortunately, even here, the effects are small at best and still cannot be relied upon to occur. Their cause could be other things done by the school systems examined: reduced classroom size, after-school tutoring or remediation programs are often done simultaneously. There are better ways to solve this problem.
Identify a problem and address it with the best techniques available. Please don't impose such a disruptive change without a clear rationale and solid evidence that it works.
Chris NewlandAuburn