Readers favor adjustments to school calendar
Top of Mind is a weekly question about an issue affecting New Mexicans.
LAST WEEK’s QUESTION: Should NM public schools adopt a longer school year?
“Yes, kids need to be in school longer. My daughter struggled in her early grade levels as her birthday was right before the cutoff and she was not mature enough. We enrolled her in Oñate Elementary as it was a year-round school. She thrived in school with the abbreviated schedule for school breaks . ... ”
— Colieta Bloss, Albuquerque
“No, not until they can assure us this will benefit the student academically, not interrupt family vacations or parental visitation times, and it’s affordable, also ensuring all staff and students have been vaccinated . ... ”
— George Perea, Albuquerque
“No. We should instead extend the school day by an hour. We would get more bang for our buck, teachers could be more productive with their day, students would retain more and still have a nice break. …” — Stephanie Wilson Scott, APS 1st grade teacher
“Perhaps consider year-round schooling. There could be less learning loss throughout the year. Intermittent breaks might be more valuable than long stretches like summer break or the time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving when some schools are in session nine-plus weeks.”
— Katrina Bustillos, Silver City
“.. A better alternative would be requiring that, at the end of third grade, all students be proficient in reading and, if they are not, they should receive remedial help, attend special programs, or be held back in order that they gain proficiency needed for future learning.”
— Sheila D. Richmond, Albuquerque
“The length of an academic school year should not be extended. The change that needs to happen is within the family. Families that spend time reading to their children, setting goals and helping them on homework help promote a positive attitude toward learning.”
— Dolly Romero, Albuquerque
“We do not need longer school years. My district has implemented 10 extra school days for the last couple of school years, and I’m seeing more teacher and student burnout. A longer school year is not the answer to the crisis N.M. faces; parent involvement is a huge issue.”
— Olivia Langley, Roswell
“Absolutely. The school days in N.M. should be longer and include more content. N.M. students will be competing with students worldwide for future employment . ... We need an educated workforce in N.M.”
— Jacqueline Pauli Ritz, Albuquerque
“There is already a teacher shortage. ... Lengthening the school year cannot be considered until schools are fully staffed.” — Mike Smith, Albuquerque
“... We are 50th in school performance. A longer school year can only help school performance.”
— Franklin Schargel, Albuquerque
“No . ... Too many parents think of schools as places to park their kids while the parents are working and too many school personnel think schools provide a better environment than parents provide. Enough! Let schools work on intellectual and academic development, and parents work on social and mental health.” — Dorothy N. Fowler, retired teacher,
Hobbs
“Rather than add more school days to the year, why not take this opportunity to eliminate summer vacation altogether and switch to a quarterly system of 10 weeks of school followed by three weeks off, cycled four times yearly? In today’s environment of COVID events and unpredictability, students, teachers too, need more frequent breaks away from the stress of school. … ”
— Kenneth Cooper, Albuquerque
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Should faith leaders endorse candidates from the pulpit and retain their institutions’ tax-exempt status?
Want to participate in Top of Mind? Send your thoughts in 50 words or less with your name and city to question@ abqjournal.com. Look for reader responses in this space next week.