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senate Bill S. 325

Piloting Year-Round Education in Low-Income Schools

Argument in favor

Year-round education keeps children out of trouble and has proven to be more successful than traditional schedules. Teachers who support year-round education should be paid extra.

Cary's Opinion
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10/25/2015
Funding a pilot program that improved test scores by 25% sounds good, mandating that program would be over stepping the government's bounds.
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Jake's Opinion
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12/05/2015
This is a pilot program, and there is no harm in trying a new program. Low-income students disproportionately get into more trouble with the law and this would be a great way to combat that by keeping them more occupied and allow teachers to spread out curriculum and allow children to LEARN not retain and spit out.
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Curmudgeon's Opinion
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07/03/2015
It probably is true that the idea of summer recess was related to no air conditioning and harvest time. To spread out the same number of hours instruction to eliminate most of the summer recess might reduce the crime rate. As far as proportional increase to salaries, don't press your luck. Teachers salaries have outstripped most other professions requiring equivalent preparation even ignoring the abbreviated months they spend on the job annually.
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Argument opposed

The U.S. needs to improve the quality of primary education before the number of days kids spend in school is extended. Lacks specifics on who is in charge of issuing grants.

LibertyForAll's Opinion
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11/06/2015
This is a State/Local issue. Yet having year round schooling will be detrimental to the childhood of adolescent Americans. Also States with a strong agrarian culture, rely heavily on family labor to run ones farm. Which digresses back to the point of a State/Local decision.
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BTSundra's Opinion
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09/22/2015
Let the states decide this sort of thing for education.
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John's Opinion
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06/21/2015
Stay out of our schools!! Leave these decisions to State and local Government.
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What is Senate Bill S. 325?

This bill — known as the All Year School Study Act — would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with the hopes of strengthening year-round programs in public elementary and secondary schools.

If passed, the bill establishes a multi-year pilot program that:

  • Awards four grants to select institutions interested in trying to improve student through year-round programs;
  • Focuses on awarding grants to schools with year-round programs that specialize in science, technology, engineering, and math;
  • Prioritizes grants for low-performing schools with low-income individuals in high population areas;
  • Allows money to be used to increase teacher salaries — but by no more than 100% — who agree to work on year-long program.

The bill also dedicates 5% of the costs to evaluating the program’s effectiveness three months after the program’s completion.

Impact

Public elementary school and secondary school students, teachers, and school administrators, and the Department of Education.

Cost of Senate Bill S. 325

This bill has a funding limit of $4 million for the implementation of the pilot programs. This money would come from funds already set aside by the Fund for the Improvement of Education.

More Information

In-Depth: This bill was inspired by the Alain Locke Charter School in Chicago, IL. The school breaks up its school year into several quarters and has two extra weeks of school than the average elementary schools in Illinois. In this case, the year-round schedule for students seems to work: at Alain Locke, students test 25% higher in reading and 23% higher in math than the Illinois average. 

In West Virginia, more elementary schools are also experimenting with year-round education. (Don’t worry, kids, you'd still get a month for summer.) For students enrolled in Piedmont Elementary School's year-long programs, the year is broken up into several nine-week long quarters followed by two to three weeks off. Results of the program have been positive, but only by a small measure.


Media:

(Photo Credit: Flickr user Seattle Municipal Archives)

AKA

All-Year Schools Support Act

Official Title

A bill to use amounts provided for the Fund for the Improvement of Education to establish a pilot program that supports year-round public elementary schools and secondary schools.

bill Progress

  • Not enacted
    The President has not signed this bill
  • The house has not voted
  • The senate has not voted
      senate Committees
      Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
    IntroducedJanuary 30th, 2015
    Cary's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    10/25/2015
    Funding a pilot program that improved test scores by 25% sounds good, mandating that program would be over stepping the government's bounds.
    Like (8)
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    LibertyForAll's Opinion Against
    ···
    11/06/2015
    This is a State/Local issue. Yet having year round schooling will be detrimental to the childhood of adolescent Americans. Also States with a strong agrarian culture, rely heavily on family labor to run ones farm. Which digresses back to the point of a State/Local decision.
    Like (11)
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    BTSundra's Opinion Against
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    09/22/2015
    Let the states decide this sort of thing for education.
    Like (7)
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    John's Opinion Against
    ···
    06/21/2015
    Stay out of our schools!! Leave these decisions to State and local Government.
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    Loraki's Opinion Against
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    07/03/2016
    Get the federal government OUT OF EDUCATION! I'm tired of the government using our public schools as indoctrination centers and Petri dishes for their social engineering agendas! Education policy should be up to the states.
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    Jake's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    12/05/2015
    This is a pilot program, and there is no harm in trying a new program. Low-income students disproportionately get into more trouble with the law and this would be a great way to combat that by keeping them more occupied and allow teachers to spread out curriculum and allow children to LEARN not retain and spit out.
    Like (4)
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    Stephen's Opinion Against
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    12/08/2015
    This bill screams NOT A FEDERAL PREROGATIVE. Education is a state issue, period.
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    operaman's Opinion Against
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    07/03/2016
    After the mess DOE has caused with CommonCore. Hell No. More like RottenCore.
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    John's Opinion Against
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    02/04/2016
    The Federal government needs to get out of the education business and let the states handle the programs
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    Ezinne's Opinion Against
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    12/10/2016
    Why is this focused on only low-income neighborhoods? If you invest in schools in these neighborhoods, school wouldn't have to be year-round in order for them to be able to compete.
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    WestonDutson's Opinion Against
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    07/22/2016
    We should be getting the federal government OUT of education, not figuring out ways to implement MORE plans.
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    Marvin's Opinion In Favor
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    06/17/2015
    I've always been a proponent to year-round schools. But I object that they should be mandated for low-income. They should be man-dated for everyone.
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    John's Opinion Against
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    06/23/2015
    1. Education is a function of the states. 2. Why low income neighborhoods? Why not everywhere? The summer vacation was in place so kids could work on the family farms. That ship sailed decades ago.
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    Curmudgeon's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    07/03/2015
    It probably is true that the idea of summer recess was related to no air conditioning and harvest time. To spread out the same number of hours instruction to eliminate most of the summer recess might reduce the crime rate. As far as proportional increase to salaries, don't press your luck. Teachers salaries have outstripped most other professions requiring equivalent preparation even ignoring the abbreviated months they spend on the job annually.
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    pgshpak's Opinion Against
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    05/04/2016
    More common core education is the last thing kids need.
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    SherryTX's Opinion In Favor
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    06/28/2015
    I agree with year around schools IF it is implemented by the districts, not the federal govt
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    RedPiano1's Opinion Against
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    06/18/2015
    Fix the regular term first. Public education is severely lacking. Don't turn schools into a free summer babysitter. If we do this, we do it for ALL public and charter schools.
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    Jason's Opinion Against
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    04/22/2015
    Not unless it is offered in all schools.
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    Summer's Opinion In Favor
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    05/14/2016
    But leave this to the states. The Fed needs to respect their governance over these issues. Approve requests for help on case by case basis. Not top down.
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    Anthony's Opinion In Favor
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    02/02/2016
    there are lot of disadvantages in low income area's they need all the help we can give them
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