As school districts begin setting school calendars, many are considering asking for a waiver to begin the school year prior to the state set date of August 22 -- this year.  Texas law requires school districts to begin instruction no earlier than the week of August 21.  Since August 21 falls on a Sunday this year, schools are not allowed to open before August 22, without a waiver.

Opinion polls around the state show teachers and parents support a school start date no earlier than the week of August 21.  Teachers and parents know the calendar configuration doesn’t impact academic performance.  Both know it’s the quality teachers and parental involvement that make the difference. 

But when high school students hear a later school start date could end the first semester after the winter break, many get scared.  This fear of the unknown is understandable.  But after much research, I have not been able to find data that supports the idea that ending the first semester prior to the winter break is academically beneficial.    

As a teacher near to my heart says, “just because we have been ending the first semester before the winter break for several years, doesn’t mean it is best academically.” 

What many Texas students may not know is that their peers in top-rated academic states are just beginning to study for exams because their first semester always ends in January.  The fact is that most the top-ten academic states have exams after the holiday break.  

Students may also not be aware that academic research suggests that it is actually more beneficial, to long term learning, for tests to be administered after a break in a continuous learning cycle -- or as we laymen like to call it, a semester. This is called the “spacing effect” and is well documented in psychology literature.  

Students in Irving ISD have taken exams after the winter break for a few years now, and they continue to get good grades.   

When the semester ends in December, the week end-of-course exams are administered is often the busiest of the year. By placing end-of-semester exams during this time, we often force students to choose between participating in holiday community activities and studying for exams.  Wouldn’t it be nice for students to return to school rested and relaxed, enjoy a few more weeks of school, a good review and then take semester exams?

If our educational system existed only to teach for regurgitation -- and we were not interested in our students being able to use the information taught weeks, months or even years down the road -- then regurgitation would be acceptable. 

But our educational system is not geared towards regurgitation.  Our dedicated teachers understand that the material they present today is often the foundation for higher learning tomorrow.  Texas teachers teach for retention, so when the end-of-semester exam is administered shouldn’t make a difference.

What does make a difference educationally is the quality of the educational programming offered to our students, the classroom supplies available to our teachers and the quality of teachers we have in our classroom.  

All of these things take more money to get or, in the case of teachers, more money to keep.  Texas has been blessed with school systems that continually improve, but the credit does not belong to a school calendar or when the semester ends.  The credit goes to the hardworking students, dedicated teachers and supportive parents.   

It costs more money to cool schools in August.  Regardless of the school district size, or if the school buildings are kept open and cooled year round, the charge per kilowatt hour is often greater in August than in May and the amount of energy needed to cool the school is also greater.  In the case of Birdville ISD, a north Texas school district comprised of 31 campuses, the district superintendent estimates it costs the district $2,250 more a day to cool the school in August over September and May.

This is money that school districts could use to provide small group tutoring for struggling students.  This is money school districts could use to pay teachers to offer after school study sessions before end-of-semester exams.  This is money that could be spent on educational programs that teachers feel will increase the core knowledge base of our students and help them succeed academically for years to come – not just during one semester.

Education should not be about simply scoring well on a test.  Education should be about learning information well enough to pull from it for years to come.  Don’t we owe academic excellence to our students? 

As school calendars are being set, I urge parents to ask for proof of academic claims and not to take everything you hear as fact.  Asking for a waiver to return to a mid-August school start is a step backwards for no good reason.  Tell your district to invest their money in education, not air conditioning.  Stand up and make a difference in your child’s education today.