It’s time to reinvent the school calendar

Broken any steady habits in Connecticut lately? Sure you have. It wasn’t that long ago that Oct. 31 was the only time people wearing masks didn’t get second looks. And if you’re reading this during a break while working from home, you’ve probably already taken for granted that your “office” only bears a passing resemblance to what it looked like in 2019.

Videoconferencing has transformed the workplace, much like the computer and the telephone did in past generations. There’s no going back.

If you’re a student or teacher, though, the derailed classroom structure seems as likely to get back on track as the locomotive itself. But let’s consider if these models are outdated.

In the case of the latter, railroads at heart are basically nothing more than boxes of people on wheels.

Similarly, we steadfastly cling to the traditional school calendar. But with the pandemic leaving too many students behind, some experts are finally questioning why we do the things we do.

“I think we’ve got to rethink the 12 months,” Gov. Ned Lamont said during a recent roundtable on education and plans to spend relief funds. “I think it could make a big difference, and I hope this is a year we can experiment.”

Of course, experimenting in this case turns children into lab rats.

Lamont has $22 million in grants and federal dollars to spend on expanding summer learning for children who have fallen behind in the wake of COVID-19.

Michelle Cunningham, executive director of the Connecticut After School Network, considered the bigger picture by pointing to the traditional American school calendar as being rooted in an agricultural model.

Ironically, that notion has been widely debunked as fake old news. If we started from scratch, the reasoning for summer break would largely be driven by the costs of air-conditioning classrooms. A reasonable argument could be made (but we won’t) to extend the break during the peak of winter when snowfall and flu season play havoc with schedules.

Increasing educational opportunities in July and August would not only reinvent the classroom, but change how kids define summer.

The goal of lawmakers and educators is noble. If executed correctly, the education gap could be narrowed. These would not be traditional classroom lessons, and could expand opportunities for students in sports and the arts. Imagine how some sports would be transformed if elite lessons were no longer limited to the wealthy.

The very definition of summer could change for kids as their cultural opportunities are expanded.

There would be ancillary benefits as well, providing child care at a time when the adults in recovering families are returning to work.

For every opportunity, there will be a challenge. For many teenagers, summer is a time to earn much-needed income. And for our weary teachers, summer is a bright light at the end of their train ride’s long tunnel.

But this is a chance for kids to exit into a brighter future. All we need to do is change some steady habits.

The goal of lawmakers and educators is noble. If executed correctly, the education gap could be narrowed. These would not be traditional classroom lessons, and could expand opportunities for students in sports and the arts.