Re: Year-round school

[Skotansky@aol.com]

When reading and math become the sole focus of attention and determination of 
a student's success or failure the future can be very grim, so why stay in a 
system that packages you as a failure. When you look at the kinds of 
experiences that many middle class children are privileged to have all throughout their 
childhood and the vast vocabulary and information base that they are endowed 
with because of that, it is not surprising that they are able to achieve (i.e. 
score well on tests) more in school- even without endless preparation. The 
fact is that art, music, drama, sports are not just side dishes- they are at the 
heart of human development.   In addition to enhancing brain capacity, these 
activities can bring enjoyment and interest, and can lead even the worst 
reading or math student into new fields of possibility. That is not to say that 
they shouldn't be helped in those subjects- they are essential. But for many poor 
kids they have become the ONLY criteria.