October 14, 2009
Class time management trumps school calendar, specialist says
By Alison Knezevich
Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Rearranging school calendars isn't as important as how teachers spend classroom time, an educational expert told lawmakers Wednesday.
"Time itself and the arrangement of [school days] may not be an issue," Gale Gaines of the Southern Regional Education Board told members of an interim legislative committee. "It's more about the use of time."
Lawmakers debated school calendars earlier this year during the regular legislative session, when Gov. Joe Manchin proposed making the schedule more flexible.
The governor wanted to let school start before Aug. 26 or end after June 8 -- the limits set in current law -- because snow days have cut into many students' required 180 days of instruction.
Teachers unions opposed the proposal, which ultimately failed.
In half of the 16 states that make up the SREB, local school boards decide when schools open and close for the year, Gaines said.
In six states, the law specifies when school can open, but not when it must close. Arkansas, North Carolina and West Virginia law specify both.
Seven of the SREB states define a school year in the number of days only, and most of those require 180 days, Gaines said. Five say the school year can be measured in days or hours, which provides flexibility.
House Education Vice Chairman Brady Paxton, D-Putnam, asked why the idea of 180 days "has become so ingrained in everybody" as the proper amount of schooling.
The number is based on the agrarian calendar, Gaines said.
She also described "alternative calendars," such as year-round schooling and four-day weeks. Researchers haven't found hard evidence those calendars improve student achievement, she said.
Much of the research on the subject is contradictory, she said. Also, calendar changes often accompany other education reforms, making it hard to determine their impact on learning.
House Education Chairwoman Mary Poling, D-Barbour, said she doesn't know about any plans to introduce legislation related to year-round schooling, though Manchin has mentioned it in the past.
Over the past five years, West Virginia schools have averaged about 178 days of classroom time for students, Poling said.
"Any decent teacher can make up that time," Poling said.
Teachers unions also say state law already ensures that students get enough instruction.
"The current calendar provides flexibility," said West Virginia Education Association spokeswoman Kym Randolph. "In places where they historically miss school [due to weather], teachers compensate for that."
Randolph said rearranging calendars doesn't "get to the root of the problem." Programs such as summer enrichment camps can better serve students who need extra classroom time, she said.
Josh Sword, a political organizer and lobbyist for the West Virginia Federation of Teachers, said the union has always emphasized "quality over quantity" when it comes to time in the classroom.
"[Gaines] hit the nail on the head when she said it's the use of the time and not the amount of time" that counts, he said.