Re: Year-round school

[Skotansky@aol.com]

Actually I work in the South Bronx and I would say that many parents are 
thrilled to have a place to send their children, not because the programs are 
exceptional, but because they HAVE a place to send their children in the summer. 
As to the discrepancy between "the average African-American 12th grader" and 
the "average White 8th grader" I believe those extra years of learning time come 
perhaps from the summers spent together with families doing stimulating 
activities, having vacations, going to   camps,   attending courses etc.- not two 
extra months of sitting in classrooms doing test prep (that's what summer 
school is, by the way).   There are many ways to learn- two months of more sitting 
for an eighth grader is rarely the prescription for learning problems. Most 
middle class kids I know are doing sports, music, drama etc during those 
wonderful summer months.   If anything, we should be calling for more programs like 
that for kids and families who cannot afford them- 
By the way- whom does our culture celebrate?- good test-takers or actors, 
athletes, artists, musicians, writers, singers?????
Susan