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Starting School Later Puts More Students In Texas Classrooms
- Uniform School Start Date Increases Student Attendance by 60 Percent
(San Antonio) -- Sixty percent more Texas public school students were present on the first day of
class this school year versus three years ago, according to data released today by Texans for a
Traditional School Year.
The group reported that 102,427 students were absent from class on the first day of the 2002-03
school year -- as compared with attendance figures for the first week of September. A similar
study in 1999, prior to the passage of the uniform school calendar law, showed 250,000 students
not in school during the same time period.
The dramatic swing in first-day attendance came as more than 90 percent of Texas school districts
complied with a new state law mandating that the school year begin no earlier than the week of
August 21.
"The numbers clearly show that the uniform school calendar bill has had a positive impact on
Texas students," said Tina Bruno, spokesperson for Texans for a Traditional School Year.
Opponents of a uniform school calendar claim that students will miss the first few days of school
regardless of when school starts. Yet the study by Texans for a Traditional School Year shows school
district attendance increases the closer we get to Labor Day.
Starting in the 1990s, an increasing number of districts adopted calendars that shifted away from
the traditional post-Labor Day start, with some starting classes as early as the first week of August.
Bruno said Texans for a Traditional School Year, a grass roots coalition of educators, parents and
business leaders, originally looked into the school calendar issue based on conversations with
teachers.
"Teachers have told us for years that early-August school start dates were not good for students. All
our study did was to confirm what they saw every year," Bruno said. "As the school start date moved
farther away from Labor Day, many teachers saw fewer students in the chairs. And by the time
September rolled around, their classrooms were close to full."
Having more students in class on the first day of school will boost average daily attendance rates,
which equals more money since the state's education funding formula for many schools is tied to
daily attendance. The increase also means students will have more learning time in the classroom.
"It doesn't take a study to know that students who aren't in school will not learn the state curriculum,"
Bruno said. "As a state, we provide 180 days of student instruction for a reason. It is counter-productive
to begin classes when you know absenteeism is going to be high."
She lauded the committed efforts of State Senator Eddie Lucio, who championed the uniform school
calendar issue years before the grassroots, parent-driven movement began.
"Senator Lucio has always listened to teachers and has continually worked hard to ensure Texas
students get the most out of their education -- something that doesn't happen when kids are not in
school," Bruno added.
Senator Lucio (D - Brownsville) said he is pleased with the results of the bill. Lucio introduced
legislation in 2001 that created the current school start legislation.
"Parents thank me everywhere I go. To know that one more child is receiving one more day of
academic instruction makes me smile -- it makes it all worthwhile," Lucio said from his Capitol
office.
"I don't know whether first-day attendance is up because there was less confusion about when
school began, because parents have played a greater role in setting calendars or simply because
school started later in August," Lucio said. "What I do know is that more kids were in school -- and
any way you look at it, that is a good thing."
Texans for a Traditional School Year announced their findings today after tallying data they received
from school districts across the state. The group made public information requests to each school
district asking for attendance figures for the first day of school and every day through October 1, 2002.
The figures are based on attendance data provided by 451 school districts representing more than
60 percent of Texas school children. The data was compared to similar data the organization
collected in 1999.
Officials in some school districts that didn't provide data claimed that they do not track attendance.
Bruno said she is concerned about those claims, and believes school boards in those districts
should insist on monthly attendance reports.
"How else are board members going to make the best decision about a school calendar?"
Bruno asked.
- Texans for a Traditional School Year is a grass roots, educational organization of parents, teachers,
- administrators and business leaders concerned about the negative impact the early-August school
- start date has on students, teachers and families. The group can be reached toll-free at 877-531-9011
- or via the web at www.traditionalschoolyear.org.