indiana territory

WESTVIEW STARTING SCHOOL - ON THE 16th?

I talked about Georgia starting school early, and now I hear a rumor, and I will call it a rumor, because it seems ridiculous, that Westview is starting school on August 16th.

I do not know why, but I suspect it has something to do with the achievement tests given in the fall, which is not a ridiculous reason, given the demand to see good statistical results. However, I think putting pressure on the schools to show improvement overlooks the crucial area of parental responsibility. Seeing that homework obligations are met and checking with teachers to ask, "Is my kid 'getting it?'" is part of parenting. And if that kid is not keeping up, then why not? Is it the kid's attitude and study habits and lack of appreciation for education . . . or is the teacher "just not doing the job" that is the primary cause.

I think it is the former; I believe students and parents need to be accountable for the way they approaching the education system, not to mention the way they are using tax dollars aimed at education.

More school time is not the long term answer; the acceptance of responsibility by parents and students is.

The issue may be coming to a head as some states pass laws putting the start of school at the end of August. Texas has just passed legislation that will not permit schools to start until the fourth Monday in August, starting in 2007:

Districts sigh, but some parents happy with late August rule for '07

06:49 AM CDT on Friday, May 19, 2006

By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News

August will soon be a summer month again.

While the spotlight was trained on school finance and property taxes during the Legislature's special session, lawmakers quietly slid the school start date back to the fourth Monday in August, starting next year. They also took away any chance for districts to get waivers that had allowed the start of school to creep ever closer to Aug. 1.

In 2007, school will start Aug. 27 – no exceptions.

And if the Westview kids were to move across the State line into Michigan, they wouldn't be starting until after Labor Day. Check out THIS ARTICLE in the Michigan Education Report. The article begins:

Public schools in Michigan will start after Labor Day beginning in 2006, now that Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed House Bill 4803 into law. The law stipulates that all public schools, including charter schools, must wait until after the Labor Day holiday to start school, beginning with the 2006-07 school year.

Perhaps, we need to pass laws requiring parents to attend school to relearn how important education is.

posted by Jody @ 8:12 AM