No Summer Vacation for More Schools

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by Dwayne T. Ervin

The summer will not be the same for someChicago Public School students as more schoolsare added to Track E, the year-round school program.

Under the Track E calendar, schools open thefirst week of August instead of after Labor Day.The traditional school calendar has a 10-weeksummer break. Students enrolled in the yearroundTrack E program have the same numberof school instructional days, but student vacationsare interspersed throughout the year intoshorter, more frequent breaks.

Last August, the number of Track E schoolsrose in number from 18 to 41. The ChicagoBoard of Education in March added another 24schools to the Track E roster and this month isbeing presented with a list of another 67 elementaryschools seeking Track E status.

According to Franklin Shuftan spokesperson forCPS, the board approved 132 elementaryschools in the Track E program. More schoolswill be added depending on whether additionalschools apply for the 2010-11 year. The experienceof the past couple of years indicates schoolcommunities are increasingly viewing Track Efavorably, he said.

Individual schools do their own outreach andwe are likely to do district-wide outreach priorto the August start date, Shuftan said. As partof the process in becoming a Track E, principalscollaborate with teachers and other stakeholdersin the school (parents, local school councils) toensure a comfort level with the change.

The Track E program has benefits for studentswho otherwise would be out of school an entiresummer. It allows teachers to more effectivelymanage time and to design more meaningful lessonsplans in shorter bursts, which can contributeto enhanced instructional programmingand improved student achievement. It also minimizesteacher burnout by providing for regularand better-spaced time off. Regularly scheduledtime off allows for better student and staffattendance, according to a written release fromCPS.

Because it maximizes a students opportunityto learn, we have agreed with many of our principals,parents and community leaders to spreadtheir school attendance more evenly throughoutthe year, said CPS CEO Ron Huberman in areleased statement. This means that instead ofone long summer break, students get severalshorter breaks throughout the year, which meansgreater learning opportunities, he added.

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