The Monroe school district deserves a compliment for it decision to eliminate the early-release inservice days for the 2009-2010 school year. It's a decision that benefits all, but most importantly the district's parents and students.
It's the second decision in recent months, the other being the moving of parent-teacher conferences to evening hours, that has displayed the district's willingness to place a priority on accommodating the increasingly complicated schedules of its parents.
The Monroe district, like most schools, has been scheduling partial days of classes in conjunction with staff development efforts. These early-release days were scheduled to help the district meet its state-mandated 180 days of instruction.
But early-release days are difficult on parents, who must rearrange their own schedules or their daycare arrangements. And those days also can be unproductive in the classroom, as some students tend to be in the, shall we say, the early-release mode.
The Monroe school district was looking at having seven early-release days in 2009-2010 - five for inservice staff development and two as pre-holiday exits. "That's a lot for parents," Jennifer Thayer, director of curriculum and instruction, correctly said.
So district administrators and the board decided to take three full days off for inservice staff development. It's a better deal for teachers, parents and the students. It was a decision more school districts should make.
And, hopefully, it's one the state Department of Instruction will allow by granting the Monroe district a waiver since it only will have 177 instructional days.
It's the second decision in recent months, the other being the moving of parent-teacher conferences to evening hours, that has displayed the district's willingness to place a priority on accommodating the increasingly complicated schedules of its parents.
The Monroe district, like most schools, has been scheduling partial days of classes in conjunction with staff development efforts. These early-release days were scheduled to help the district meet its state-mandated 180 days of instruction.
But early-release days are difficult on parents, who must rearrange their own schedules or their daycare arrangements. And those days also can be unproductive in the classroom, as some students tend to be in the, shall we say, the early-release mode.
The Monroe school district was looking at having seven early-release days in 2009-2010 - five for inservice staff development and two as pre-holiday exits. "That's a lot for parents," Jennifer Thayer, director of curriculum and instruction, correctly said.
So district administrators and the board decided to take three full days off for inservice staff development. It's a better deal for teachers, parents and the students. It was a decision more school districts should make.
And, hopefully, it's one the state Department of Instruction will allow by granting the Monroe district a waiver since it only will have 177 instructional days.
