Academic support or academic “blocks”?

“Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves–and be free.” ~Cesar Chavez

New this year, Virginia Beach City Public Schools have enforced the new policy of “Academic Support” blocks, designed to encourage students to develop study skills and manage their grades more effectively.

In these grade leveled ‘support’ blocks, each teacher is mandated to conduct a lecture and activity every other Wednesday on educational skills from prescheduled lessons from the West Virginia Department of Education. Also, each teacher is responsible for acting as a resource to their students, informing them how to access the Student Portal and act as an advocate when their grades are in need of attention, homework grades are missing, or too many absences occur.

Although it is an idea that may seem “Ahead of the Curve,” many students and teachers within the school find the concept oppressive and unnecessary.

While these support blocks are intended to benefit students, the policy is seemingly juvenile, almost babying students into becoming productive. Instead of creating their own agendas and managing their time as they wish, students are required to give their attention to lectures from which they may or may not benefit. Whereas the blocks are intended to teach skills for a higher level of success, they do not instill the self-sufficiency students require for success in real life.

The blocks are also an unnecessary burden on teachers. Class sizes continue to increase and teachers now either teach six full classes, or they are responsible for advising students in their study blocks. In addition, the students that teachers are asked to coach academically may have no connection to the subjects or age-groups they teach, making it even more difficult.

In conjunction to the burden added to both students and teachers, the lessons conducted in ‘Academic Support’ blocks consume time needed to work for both parties. Instead of lesson planning or grading for classes, teachers must focus on teaching lessons and guided activities from another state. Likewise, students who participate in sports or out of school activities must listen to lectures instead of utilizing their limited time for homework, to complete or make up tests, or attend peer tutoring sessions.

On the other hand, VBCPS is still responsible for encouraging students to succeed academically, as well as giving them the tools to do so. According to the school’s Mission Statement and Vision available in the school planner, the mission is to “empower everyone to become a lifelong learner” and “succeed as independent and creative thinkers.” The new ‘Academic Support’ program certainly has elements to provide students the resources to learn these traits successfully.

The school is not alone in its changes, though. Other VBCPS schools have also developed similar programs, from several of which the school has adopted ideas. This change is not contained only to the school and the intention is to implement similar programs citywide.

Furthermore, this new addition was tasked to schools this summer at the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools George Parker’s instruction for more rigor and the school merely attempted to find the least invasive way to do so.

However, instead of mandating that teachers and students suffer through lectures extraneous to the regular school day, it is possible in this technological age to make the materials lectured about in the support blocks available to students thus, allowing them to manage their own time and make an active decision to take education into their own hands.

Overall, offering students the materials from wvde.state.wv.us or from another website in our own state as optional resources or extended activities, would be much more beneficial for both teachers and students. Educators would then teach students to be responsible for their academic success and make it possible for students to become facilitators in their own success.