Summer school

[kellifer]

So, any and all assistance appreciated from my US counterparts... I have some specific questions about Summer School for a story that's been rolling around in my head for a little while. Since I'm is Aus and we don't really have it here... there's some things I don't know...

1. When does it run? Is it a specific time or is it up to the region/school (both the months and the hours - is it a 9-3 thing?).

2. Do you go for one subject/multiple/only the ones you need to make up (and on that...)

3. Is it likely to go if you've missed enough school through the year that you would fail otherwise?

4. Can you go to any summer school (not just the one run by the school you've just attended)?

Comments

[majorsamfan.livejournal.com]

When SS runs depends on the district. I believe here, the kids get out of school mid-June and then SS starts after 4th of July and runs the rest of the month, maybe even into the first part of August. (School starts the end of August, just before Labor Day, since they now give the children the whole week of Thanksgiving off in November.) I believe it's a morning thing. (The middle school near my apartment even has free breakfast in the morning.)

SS can be for those who need to make up a class, those who just struggle to stay up with the other kids/would "lose" a lot over summer and/or an advanced/prep class. (For Hollywood's take, see the movie "Stand and Deliver" for one where they prepped for AP Calculus over summer, and Summer School with Mark Harmon where they were flunkies.)

I believe whether it focuses on one topic or general ed depends on the students' ages. Probably in highschool, they would be subject specific, whereas in grade school it would probably focus only on the 3 Rs - reading, writing and 'rithmetic.

My co-worker said her son's first grade teacher recommended summer school for all her students, so they wouldn't lose too much over summer. My co-worker opted for a private program, so as not to take the spot of a child who really needed remedial help. There are many private study-help programs like Score! which help students both in summer and even during the school year on an after-school basis.

This "losing" of skills and information is part of the reason for going to year-round school, where there are more frequent breaks for shorter periods of time. Under this system, there's not time for "summer school", I don't think.

One question that popped up in a comment was about busing. In our area, buses are by a contracted private company; the schools do NOT run the buses.

[kellifer-fic.livejournal.com]

Thankyou!