Our students deserve extra time for learning
Iread with utter dismay and no small amount of frustration the article (“SFPS nixes plan for extended school year,” April 9) about the decision by Santa Fe Public Schools not to offer extended learning time (10 extra days) next year. This followed the earlier announcement that K-5 Plus (25 summer days) also would not be offered.
These decisions are due to the lack of support and objections from both parents and teachers. How can these two groups of people not be concerned about boosting student achievement and narrowing learning gaps for our kids?
In 2018, Robert Nott wrote an article that stated, “According to Santa Fe Community College data, some 76 percent of incoming high school students need to take at least one developmental education course in math, while 67 percent need developmental classes in English.” (And these students graduated from high school!)
And then there’s the article by Jessica Pollard just last week (“Santa Fe students struggle with math assessments,” April 9). It presents data on math proficiency and also reading proficiency — or, rather, the lack of proficiency. The statistics are far worse than the Santa Fe Community College data for our high school graduates.
All of this data evidencing the severe learning shortcomings of our kids ought to be an outrageous embarrassment. Yet, I wonder how many people are actually concerned. Based on the objections by both parents and teachers to proposed extra time in the classroom, it appears most are not.
Far too many parents are apparently more worried about family vacation time. And teachers are concerned with “time with their families,” according to the union president. These concerns are taking precedence over much-needed time in the classroom for the kids, whose successful future depends upon a quality education.
I suggest these adults, who should have children’s best interests at heart, need to unselfishly reorder their thinking and priorities toward what’s best for the kids, which is undisputedly more time in the classroom.