Curmudgeon Wrote:
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>
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Can anyone point to data that shows that
> starting the school year before Labor Day produces
> better results? By any measure. Serious about
> this. Willing to entertain the change if there's
> demonstrable, overwhelming data proving there's
> some sort of positive correlation with starting
> earlier even with the same number of
> days.
>
> the problem is that the SOL tests don't get moved
> back too. so when the kids take the SOL's in may,
> they spend the next month at school watching
> disney movies instead of learning anything.
>
> same number of school days either way, but FAR
> less actual instructional time with the king's
> dominion law because the faculty has mentally
> checked out at the end of SOLs.
>
> i don't have a scientific study pointing to this
> result, but i've never *ever* heard a parent
> contradict it.
The last two years I've taken my kids out of school with 3 days left and made our annual family gathering in myrtle beach. My other family members hav schools that get out in may, so its the middle of their summer break. The school tried to indicate that I shouldn't do this, but when I asked what instruction were they missing, they couldn't answer me. Everyone blanks out after SOLs.