A researcher on national education issues came to central Illinois this week to give teachers a back-to-school pep talk and to give them ideas on how to improve kids' learning.
John Draper, a former middle school teacher and principal, works for the National School Public Relations Association. It's his job to tout neighborhood schools, and he did plenty of that in his presentation to Macon County teachers this week.
But Draper also pitched a few ideas that would shake up traditional school calendars.
He proposed that high schools adopt a more fluid system that would allow students to work at their own pace.
"I think we have to be willing to look at allowing students to demonstrate mastery and then let 'em go, or, if they need to be re-taught, or they need another shot at it or they need extra time, we need to just give it to them without it being a punitive thing. It doesn't need to be negative," Draper said.
He also advocated for more year-round schools, which he calls "multi-vacation schools," saying the breaks should be used to help remedial students catch up.
"The school calendars that we have today are really driven by what we had 50 and 60 and 100 years ago,” Draper said. “And as long as time is a constant, achievement will be a variable."
Draper is the author of a book called Crucial Conversations About America's Schools.
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