Learning
Scheduled for Success

A year-round school calendar helps low-income Denver students achieve.

In 1995, the faculty of Colfax Elementary School in Denver, Colorado launched an intensive campaign to enlist parent support. They weren't talking about coming to parent-teacher conferences or monitoring homework, important as those are. What they wanted was approval for a new school calendar that they believed could boost student achievement.

School calendars generally have a lot to do with tradition and very little to do with the learning needs of students, note these educators. But the calendar that Colfax finally adopted is specifically designed for the school's children.

It's a year-round calendar with nine- or ten-week periods of school, alternating with two- or three-week breaks. Summer vacation is only six weeks.

Colfax is in a low-income neighborhood. Studies have long documented that student achievement falls back during long summer vacations for many low-income students, and Colfax was no exception. Teachers had to spend the first month of school reteaching many concepts.

Because the breaks are shorter now, students retain more. And when students return to school, "they actually still remember how to behave," says Becky Wissink, who was a Title I teacher when the change took place. She now leads the Denver Class-room Teachers Association.

Colfax in the past also faced a special problem: many of its families are from Mexico, and many parents took their children out of school around Christmas to visit relatives in Mexico. The new longer mid-winter break has resulted in lower absenteeism.

With creative use of grant money, Colfax is able to run special programs during the breaks to give many students extra help and keep them connected to academics. In one recent program, third grade teacher Diane Palmer helped students learn about the United States. Reading, music, and dance were all incorporated in her lesson plans. Then she had her students paint a huge map of the United States on the blacktop outside of the school.

"These programs add about 20 extra days to our calendar," says Palmer. "Any student is welcome to join. The focus is both learning and having fun."

Of course, the calendar can't solve all of the school's problems. For one, students are constantly moving in and out. With parents forced to move because their jobs end or housing becomes unaffordable, Colfax has a 160 percent annual turnover. Wissink says about 70 percent of the students who start the year are still in class at the end, but the other 30 percent turn over several times.

The school has made other improvements besides the new calendar, such as starting full-day kindergarten. But Wissink believes the new schedule deserves much of the credit for keeping Colfax off the Colorado list of schools with low achievement scores.

The idea of switching to a year-round calendar came from a teacher at an informal after school get-together at a restaurant where Colfax staff members were discussing some of the problems they were facing.

It was an idea that took off. There were, however, concerns from parents. Many were not sure what they would do with their children during the breaks. Wissink maintained that the school was not a child-care institution, and parents were encouraged to send their children to the intersession programs, which partially solved the problem.

Eighty-five percent approval
The superintendent told the staff that 85 percent of the families with children at the school had to agree before the schedule change could take effect.

That was a tall order. "You can't get 85 percent to agree on a flavor of ice cream, let alone changing the school calendar," Wissink notes.

On the first try, 70 percent of the families gave their approval-not enough. Then teachers got on the phone, and the principal went door-to-door in the community, until finally they got the number they needed.

Wissink says the new schedule has been good for teachers as well as students. "You give it your all for nine weeks. Then you have two or three weeks off to get revitalized," she says.

"Sometimes, people don't want to lose the long summer vacation, but you have to live through the whole cycle to see what it's like-including the long breaks in the fall, winter, and spring.

"Most schools come back in the winter on January 2. But with the year-round schedule, you have another week after all the festivities to pull yourself together."

Wissink and Palmer have visited other schools to tell teachers and parents about the benefits of the revised calendar. In 1995, Colfax was the only Denver school with a year-round schedule. Today, there are 13.

"I think these schools saw how much Colfax benefited and decided to try it themselves," says Palmer.

"This is the best thing we have done, for both students and teachers."

-Urmila Subramanyam

For More:
E-mail Wissink: bwissink@ nea.org.

Idea Exchange

Vertical Forest
To teach my third and fourth graders about the layers of the rainforest, I chose four students of varying heights. The tallest stood behind the rest with his arms reaching up, representing the emergent level. I had the next tallest stand in front of the emergent level with hands spread horizontally: the canopy. A shorter child knelt in front with hands down at the side: the understory. The shortest child sat with crossed legs in front of the understory: the forest floor. After this modeling, students acted out the layers in groups of four.

Alexis Schoen
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania

Book Source
My students and I devised a way to increase our library at no cost.

At the beginning of the year, I send home a letter asking families to search for children's chapter books that are no longer used and donate them to the library. As each book arrives, the student's name is placed on the inside cover, along with a note on how well they liked the book. I find students are more likely to read books that their friends have read.

Not only has our library grown, but students have formed voluntary discussion groups.

Jennie Eddy
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Seating Charts
After many instances of students switching seats (with a substitute teacher), I finally developed a foolproof plan.

Our office has a computer CD with a photograph record for all students (supplied by the yearbook company).

Using cut-out pictures printed from the CD and a glue stick, I now have a seating chart that includes names and pictures.

When I need to change it, I just peel up the photos and relocate the students to their new seats. No more switching-seats tricks, and fewer problems for my substitute.

Laura Smith
Reedsport, Oregon

Spelling Test Bingo
My class plays Spelling Test Bingo. I create a blank Bingo board and make copies. Students number the boxes and pick where to write their spelling words.

We exchange papers and correct them. If a word is misspelled, it's rewritten correctly. Then the papers are returned.

I write the spelling words on small pieces of paper, place them in a hat, and pull them out. When a student gets Bingo, he or she must stand up and spell out all the words correctly in order to win a prize.

The class loves this game, and it's great for test review.

Vickie Hugo
Buttonwillow, California

Military Cheer
Just before the holidays, I had students collect and mail generic "Happy Holiday" cards to soldiers. Students signed and wrote a note in the cards but provided no personal information, and we used the school's return address. We then sent a package of cards to "Any Soldier" for the soldier to share with his or her friends. We found the mailing addresses for the Naval fleet on its Web site (www.navy.mil).

Students also took cards to the local VA hospital. It's a great feeling to pass on good cheer to those who protect our freedom.

Christy Goodney
Vancouver, Washington

Updating History
I bypass the argument that specific historical data isn't needed in the everyday workplace by focusing on writing.

I emphasize to students that the knowledge they gain in American history is not simply factual, but broad to help them understand human nature.

I remind students that we are a communication-oriented society. E-mail and faxes need to be written clearly and concisely.

Students report research by using a Power Point presentation or by building a Web page. Through this they learn the information and valuable technological skills.

Mar Van Over
Phoenix, Arizona

Works4ForMe

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How do you cut a student from a sports team, or any team?

• If you have just cause, it should be simple. Talk to the student when other students are not around, but I would have an adult witness there. Tell them the reasons they are being removed, specifically.

  Then you must be the adult and hold your ground. If your students are like mine, they will "one more chance and I'll do better" you to death, but rarely change significantly.

  If you don't have just cause, don't do it.

Jason Vandergrift
Middle school science teacher
Cumming, Georgia

• First, speak with the team about expectations and standards. Then, speak privately with the student and explain how you view the shortcomings. Ask him or her for input, and then state clearly what must be changed or achieved to stay a team member. You might both need to sign a contract stating standard, time frame, and consequence.

  I have used this approach with students being excluded from cooperative learning groups in the regular education classroom.

  With one third grader who was totally mainstreamed but quite obstinate, I went to her classroom at the beginning of each day and before and after each recess to review our agreement with her.

  After we started this, she no longer created a disruption when excluded from some group activities.

Joyce Lorenzen
Special education teacher
Corvallis, Oregon

• I coach middle school girls soccer and boys baseball. Each year, I must turn down half of the students who want to participate.

  So I "lay it on the line" at the first tryout. I let the students know exactly what they're up against--how many slots are open, how many students are trying out.

  I tell them they may be good, but they need to be better than the other students.

  At the start of the last day of tryouts, I ask if anyone feels they haven't gotten a fair chance. At the end, I announce the team(s).

  I tell the students how impressed I was at their effort and say I am sorry I can keep only a certain number.

  Lastly, I say I will not answer any questions today, but they should go home, think about how they did, talk to their parents and their friends, and then the next day I will answer any questions. I also offer them the opportunity to be team manager.

  I do not post a list. Not making a team is hard enough. They don't need other students seeing the names.

  With this procedure, the entire process seems to be easier for everyone.

Rob Solomon
Seventh grade math teacher
East Windsor, New Jersey

• In the first round of girls basketball tryouts, I post the students who have made it to the second round. I invite all students who did not to talk with me about the skills they need to work on to get on the team in the future.

  For those who played junior varsity the past year and do not have the skills to play at the varsity level, I try to find positions in which they can still be involved.

  Statisticians, managers, and videographers are important to our program, and these roles let the student-athlete stay involved with a sport they love.

Michele Mathis
Special education teacher
Enterprise, Alabama

• I give each girl who tries out for my junior high basketball team a sealed letter. One is the "Congratulations" letter. The other is the "I'm sorry" letter, in which I point out that there are many other activities they can involve themselves in, and I say, good luck.

  The privacy of the letter allows them some dignity and avoids the public embarrassment of posting lists. I suggest they wait until they go home to open them.

  Cutting a player is a coach's most difficult job.

Ed Martin
School counselor
Hawley, Pennsylvania

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