Here it is...your comment of the week!!

"So why not spend a few more days there getting a great education?" Here are a few reasons: 1) It is presently not a great education. The State did not just make up the PLA label out of nowhere. As a graduate of T.C. Williams I am shocked by what I see allowed within my old high school. 2) Countless research (thank you to those who cited what was put out by the School Board) does not indicate that throwing more time into the equation produces any better results. 3) Extra days = extra dollars. The economy is still in a recession and local governments, this one included, do not have the money to waste on dispelled initiatives. 4) This is just one more variable put into place alongside countless initiatives crammed in one after the other by the superintendent. If there is success at T.C. and other schools, what will be determined to be the cause of that success? Increased time, a change in staff, revamped curriculum, fresh fruits and veggies? An elementary understanding of  planning and  experimentation dictates that you minimize the  variables to best draw conclusions and replicate  what works. Learning opportunities outside of  the classroom impact students far beyond the  concrete walls of our schools. Increasing time  within school and adding days to the year decreases  those opportunities and thus decreases positive impacts on student learning.See more... By Anonymous on Folkerts in Denial at 8:27 PM