Going back to school on Aug 5.....WHY? (Atlanta, Dallas: public schools, college)

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by WriterDawg85

I was born in late December. I'd guess that nearly half of the kids in my graduating class were born in 1985, it's not an odd thing. At least where I grew up (Cobb County), anyone that was born in the second half of the year was usually sent to kindergarten with kids born in the first half of the next year.

Gotcha. The silly, age 5 by Sept. 1 bs. Most of my graduating class was '85 minus the people who failed ('84) and out of state people.

MD has since changed the law to age 5 by Sept 1 so I would have graduated in '04 like you as well...

[tpfilm]

Ok. We don't live in Cobb County, yet. We live in New Hanover County (Wilmington) in North Carolina. Our county offers two elementary schools (k-5) that are on a "year 'round schedule." The kids go to school for 9 weeks then have 3 weeks (3 1/2 with 1/2 day and teacher workday the last week of the quarter) off, with a five week "summer break." These two schools start at the end of July and finish mid June. They get all the normal holidays (Veteran's, MLK, President's, Labor, Memorial) that the traditional kids get. Plus, they get a three week Christmas Break and a 3 week Spring Break.

The day cares and other after school care providers in Wilmington offer inter-session care for the parents that need it during the 3 breaks in the school year. Even the YMCA has programs for these breaks.

Both schools accommodate about 600 students (no overcrowding.) These schools are choice schools - the parents/ kids decide they want to go there and both schools have waiting lists that are at least 100 students long for each school. 1st time enrollment is via a lottery. The school system provides bus transportation for those that need/ want it. Even for those who live less than 2 miles from the school.

Our daughter is in 1st grade at one of the schools. She went there last year for kindergarten. We were last minute addition because someone else dropped out before school began. We love it. Our daughter loves it. We feel that the year round calendar is VERY beneficial for students. Focused education spread over time with breaks just when needed and no unnecessary 3 month break.

My point? Spreading the school year out with more short breaks and a shorter summer break is beneficial to the students and focusses their learning. Now, I admit, the year round calendar is not for everyone. Maybe school systems like Cobb County should offer a year round calendar and a traditional calendar so parents (and students) can decide for themselves.

I will say this: since the two year round schools are choice schools the parental involvement (in class and in school volunteerism, PTA involvement, school clean-up, etc) is higher at them than any of the other 24 elementary schools in the county (New Hanover is one of the smallest - size - counties in NC.)

By the way: with computer and other systems in the modern school of today the air conditioners are kept on year round. They don't turn them off when school's not in.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by SW30303

Rockdale county started at the end of July

That's insane. Just my opinion of course.

[billl]

Originally Posted by matt8325

kennesaw is not hotter than marrietta or atlanta. When you look at records, the records for Atlanta would be more accurate than smaller towns like Kennesaw since Atlanta's official temperatures are taken at an airport using a very expensive weather station.

Nonsense. Kennesaw has an airport with a control tower and with a qualified official weather observer: McCollum Field

Marietta also has an airport with a control tower and a qualified official weather observer: Dobbins AFB

Furthermore, the temperature at Hartsfield is hardly representative of downtown Atlanta. If anything, the observations from ATL are less accurate than those from McCollum or Dobbins if you are looking for something representative of the center of town.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by billl

Nonsense. Kennesaw has an airport with a control tower and with a qualified official weather observer: McCollum Field

Marietta also has an airport with a control tower and a qualified official weather observer: Dobbins AFB.

Exactly. For those not familiar, all controlled fields and most uncontrolled fields have what's known as Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) that provides current conditions to pilots. Every facet of the conditions, including cloud cover, dewpoint, wind speed, and temperature is recorded in realtime and made available via radio frequency, telephone, and the Internet.

The Atlanta metro area has Hartsfield, PDK, Charlie Brown, Dobbins, McCollum, Briscoe, and others. When you see towns represented on the TV news map, what you're actually seeing is the ASOS report from those airports.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by WriterDawg85

Perhaps I can give a bit of insight from the other side of things since it wasn't all that long ago that I was in high school (graduated in 2004).

I can remember times in middle school when we got back in to school after Labor Day, so it wasn't long ago that Cobb County experimented with that schedule. After having late August or early September starts for a while, things started to go in the other direction as I went through high school, and they've clearly continued to inch earlier and earlier into the traditional summer.

I think the argument over AP and other kinds of testing is probably a valid one. I took a fair number of AP classes in high school, and it was always a rush at the end of the spring semester to get through all the information that would be on the test, since test dates are nationally determined. In those classes, an extra two weeks would make a difference. I wish we had had it. For example, in a US history class, if you were asked an essay question about something in relatively recent history you could end up completely screwed if your class hadn't managed to get there.

I also think that it makes sense to move up the year so that winter break is actually a break. I remember having to do projects and lots of work over winter breaks in middle school because the semester ended after the break, but by the time I got to high school the year started early enough to end things and have finals before the holidays. Not only did it make more sense from a learning standpoint, but you actually got to have a week or two to yourself.

I think that the whole mess about heat concerns is just that: mess. Overall average temperatures for September may be lower, but I assure you that the first few days of September are just as hot as most of your August days around here. The end of September pulls down the monthly average, so you can't go by that for this discussion.

The only reason we think school should start later, as far as I can tell, is because it's what a lot of people are used to. I think it's a social norm that has outlasted its usefulness since, as someone previously mentioned, I don't know anyone around here that needs summer to be at a particular time to facilitate work in the fields. Southern colleges function on a somewhat similar schedule relative to later-starting northern schools, and I wouldn't have traded an early-May outdoor graduation ceremony at UGA for an early-June one in much warmer temperatures. The schedule always felt logical to me, starting in high school.

WD, I'm 30 years older than you but am in perfect accord with you on this topic. I've recently read a lot of online posts about this, mostly on the AJC, and posted a bit myself. In my long-ago high school days we had the semester break in January, and I've always thought exactly what you said - that having it before the winter holiday is much better, because this way high schoolers actually get a true holiday! But usually, that particular comment on my part has evoked a lot of scorn to the effect that this consideration is risible and worthless. Hah! Somebody agrees with me. You made my day.

[WriterDawg85]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

WD, I'm 30 years older than you but am in perfect accord with you on this topic. I've recently read a lot of online posts about this, mostly on the AJC, and posted a bit myself. In my long-ago high school days we had the semester break in January, and I've always thought exactly what you said - that having it before the winter holiday is much better, because this way high schoolers actually get a true holiday! But usually, that particular comment on my part has evoked a lot of scorn to the effect that this consideration is risible and worthless. Hah! Somebody agrees with me. You made my day.

Good to know someone agrees with me, I was mostly expecting to get flamed by people who prefer the northern schedule!

Not only is having a "true" break better for students' sanity, but I think it makes more sense from an academic standpoint. Having to take finals cold after two weeks with with no school does not make ANY kind of sense. Plus, what about kids that travel during the holidays to see family? It's a much more narrow time window than summer, and requiring kids to work on school project the entire time can create some very valid practical concerns - much more valid than those brought about by people wanting to visit northern relatives in the summer, IMO. They've got the entire month of July with no schoolwork for that.

Plus, not all homes have air conditioning in some parts of town. I think it would be far safer to let the school year include the hottest part of the year for those kids. I know a lot of people bring up athletics as part of this conversation, but as long as coaches take reasonable safety precautions to keep their players safe (mandatory water breaks inside, available shade, doing agility or dexterity drills that don't require a full field in the gym, allowing students to rest when they feel overheated instead, etc.), I don't think school sports have to suffer and it would probably be safer for a lot of low-income students living without AC.

People are always going to get angry when the way that things have always been done gets changed, but I think that practical concerns have to outweigh tradition after a certain point. School is about the kids, not about the parents, and I think this system makes a lot of sense for kids.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by WriterDawg85

Plus, what about kids that travel during the holidays to see family?

Yeah, what about it? We have to deal with the fact that June is a WASTED month because we cannot visit anyone. All of our relatives and friends are still in school or have children still in school.

That means we have to dodge the July 4 holiday and other people's vacations and squeeze our trips into a narrow window in July. July typically doesn't work well for me at work, whereas August works perfectly.

Yeah, I know it's all about me and my family, but frankly that's all I'm concerned about in this case.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by WriterDawg85

According to weather.com, the averages for mid-late August are 86-88 and the averages for the first week of September are 85-86. I don't think an average variance of 0-3 degrees is significant or even noticeable, let alone a reason to significantly rearrange a school schedule.

Monthly Weather Forecast for Atlanta, GA - weather.com

It is very noticeable when you factor in the lower humidity.

[matt8325]

Originally Posted by billl

Nonsense. Kennesaw has an airport with a control tower and with a qualified official weather observer: McCollum Field

Marietta also has an airport with a control tower and a qualified official weather observer: Dobbins AFB

Furthermore, the temperature at Hartsfield is hardly representative of downtown Atlanta. If anything, the observations from ATL are less accurate than those from McCollum or Dobbins if you are looking for something representative of the center of town.

Trust me, Kennesaw is NOT hotter than Marietta or Atlanta.