War Costs & Education; NCLB helps proove parents prefer traditional calendar

[Bussardre@aol.com]

Two items of interest:
 
1) this website calculates what the money spent on the Iraq war would have  
meant if spent on education.
 
_http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182_ 
(http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182) 
 
2)  Given the choice, Virginia parents transferring their  children  from 
what tests determined are "failing  schools,"   selected a traditional calendar 
school rather than a  year-round calendar school. (See story below).
 
Under NCLB, some parents  won't have such a choice because a school  might be 
forced to go on a multitrack calendar if there is no room in the shcool  they 
select, according to a provision in the NCLB law.
 
Don't have time to share much more.  As some of you know, I am  campaign 
manager for Florida District 4 congressional candidate Bob Harms,  who has made 
support for  the long summer break and a traditional school  calendar part of 
the issues he is running on.  He holds a masters in  educational psychology.  
See his website:  _www.HarmsforCongress.com_ (http://www.HarmsforCongress.com)  
(campaign  contributions appreciated).
 
 
--Billee Bussard 
 
 
 
_http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-36824sy0sep27,0,2492475.story?coll=dp
-news-local-final_ 
(http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-36824sy0sep27,0,2492475.story?coll=dp-news-local-final) 
 
Hampton pupils transfer after schools fall short
Officials say those moving to year-round schools are not behind, but some  
parents won't take the chance.
_BY GEORGINA STARK _ (mailto:gstark@dailypress.com) 
247-4537 
September 27, 2006 
HAMPTON -- More than 60 students at  four Hampton elementary schools began 
switching schools this week after their  schools didn't meet federal targets on 
the state's standardized  tests.

Most of the schools that parents could choose to send their  children to are 
on a year-round calendar - five weeks ahead of schools that  reopened earlier 
this month. School officials said they aren't concerned that  the transferring 
students will be five weeks behind their peers, but some  parents aren't so 
sure.

Jamie Garcia, a single mother in the Army who  lives on the Fort Monroe Army 
post, decided not to send her kindergarten son to  a year-round school.

"He would have already missed so much school and be  so far behind," said 
Garcia, who moved her son from Bryan Elementary School to  Booker Elementary 
School.

Low test scores at Aberdeen, Bryan, Mallory and  Tarrant elementary schools 
forced school officials to offer parents a choice to  send their children to 
better-performing schools.

Aberdeen is a  year-round school that gave parents the choice of two other 
year-round schools.  Bryan and Mallory parents had the choice of a year-round 
school or one with a  traditional calendar, but most who requested a transfer 
opted for the  traditional-calendar school.

Tarrant Elementary School parents were given  the choice of two year-round 
schools.

School officials picked the schools  based on whether they had room to take 
on more students, said Mildred Sexton,  executive director of elementary school 
leadership and compensatory programs.  They think the transferring students 
will do fine in their new  schools.

"We're going to make sure none of the students are lagging,"  Sexton said.

Lynda Haywood, principal of Bassette Elementary School - a  year-round school 
taking students from Aberdeen and Mallory - said students from  schools with 
traditional calendars will be further behind their  classmates.

"We've already completed eight weeks of learning," Haywood  said, "so, of 
course, they've missed a lot."

But she thinks most of them  will catch up.

"The only ones that will have problems catching up," she  said, "are ones 
that would have problems in their own  schools."

Year-round schools in Hampton are testing students this week to  see if 
they're on track to pass the Standards of Learning tests, which all  Virginia 
public school students take from grade three through high  school.

Students transferring into year-round schools will also take the  tests this 
week even though they haven't been back at school as long as their  classmates.

The tests will help teachers know where the new students need  help, Sexton 
said.

Principals at year-round schools are encouraging  parents transferring their 
children to register them for classes during the  two-week breaks year-round 
schools schedule in the fall and spring semesters.  During the breaks the 
schools offer optional remedial classes for students  falling behind, as well as 
field trips and projects.

The schools will  also offer extra tutoring for transferring students, Sexton 
said.