The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page A10

Page 10A Des Moines Register endar we had for the chool year, every two weeks we had a two-hour late start for professional Fiene said. That part worked really well for our professional earning communities, but it was a major disruption to instructional East Sac has eliminate late starts in the com- i ng school year. Instead, he school calendar includes 10 four-day weeks for students, with teacher work time scheduled on the fifth day. Overall, stud ents will receive 1,137 ours of instruction pread over 170 days. Making such changes to school calendars, however, is a long and compli- ated process.

Schedules equire approval by the ocal school board and must comply with collective bargaining agreements. he majority of districts even those hat plan to count class time in hours, rather than days made only minor changes to their 2014-15 calendars, said Amy Williamson, Bureau of School I mprovement chief with the state Department of ducation. mostly variations on the calendars that istricts have traditionally had, but they are counting hours instead of days she said. With the new legisla- ion, the use of a four-day school week could inc rease in the state, educators say. Since the passage of a 2 005 law allowing Montana schools to count instructional time using sitions districts to make up time missed due to inc lement weather.

Districts counting hours can now lengthen previously scheduled school days to a ddress canceled classes, i nstead of extending the a cademic year. not yet clear how many districts plan to make changes, but more than a half-dozen leaders rom other Iowa schools ave contacted the 469- tudent WACO district in southeast Iowa for tips on how a four-day school week calendar works here, WACO leaders said. he WACO district in ayland received a waiver from the state in 2013 to adopt a four-day week. Students attended extend- school days each Monday through Thursday. oluntary remediation, nrichment opportunities a nd college-level classes were offered on most Fridays.

In general, alternative chool schedules are rare in Iowa. For example, only even schools in three districts operate under a continuous calendar. The model includes a short- ned summer vacation to ombat the learning loss xperienced by most students in June, July and August. To date, biggest debates about school chedules have centered whether classes should onvene prior to Labor Day. Data showing which Iowa districts plan to ount instructional time sing hours or days available until the end of June, state officials said.

Students must be in school a minimum of 180 ays per school year or 1,080 hours. A smattering of more odest changes, howev- are planned for 2014-15 among districts switching to the hours format, according to state officials. he changes include: Elementary and mid- le school students in Ames will spend 15 more minutes in school each day. The Dubuque school istrict scrapped its eeklong spring break. Officials there also swapped weekly two-hour early-release Wednesdays for a one-hour del ayed start each Friday.

Early-out Wednes- ays were eliminated in the Newton school district. Instead, six professional development days or staff are included in he 2014-15 calendar. Calendar change omplicated to do State law and many union contracts mandate hat districts set aside time throughout the school year for classroom teachers to collaborate and take part in professional development. hile educators say the policies have imp roved the quality of instruction in schools, early dismissals a nd late start times to accommodate teacher training can interrupt student earning time. speak for other istricts, but with the cal- ours, 31public school istricts in that state have adopted four-day weeks.

In Iowa, East Sac leaders discussed making the ransition this past year. Bondurant-Farrar in cent ral Iowa and West Harrison on the Nebraska border considered using a four-day week in 2009 and 2 005, respectively, to save energy and transporta- ion costs. More study needed on student effects Nationally, about 120 istricts in 21states opera te on a four-day week. The schedule is most popular in rural districts with enrollments of fewer than 1 ,000 students, a defini- ion that describes more han two-thirds of public school systems. But response to the calendar has been mixed.

A hree-day weekend can create child-care chal- enges. In impoverished areas, educators worry that students who miss out on a fifth day of class also miss out on the nutrition provided by school eals, an important source of food for kids hose families may be living paycheck to paycheck. ore studies are needed to determine the effects of a four-day week student achievement, said Kathy Christie, a vice resident with the Denver, Educa- ion Commission of the States, which tracks state policy trends. ome districts see academic gains after moving to a four-day week, ac- cording to a 2012 policy rief complied by the Center for Evaluation Education Policy at Indiana University. Others aw no change at all, the report shows.

I May, Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius ordered seven of her 1 1school districts on four- ay weeks to return to a ore traditional calendar after students failed to make adequate academic progress. An eighth district is making the switch oluntarily this fall. If a small, rural istrict that has to bus kids for an hour a day, then it can make sense, and I think those folks tay with it Christ ie said. But we have just not seen the big benefits that most people hope that they are going to get out of oing it. We have tended to be very hesitant hen recommending the four-day Any Iowa district considering a compressed schedule would be well- served by finding ways to ffer academic opportunities five days a week, ACO Superintendent Darrell Smith said.

In his district, 90 per- ent of elementary school students and 85 percent of junior high and high chool students attend the optional Friday rograms. Although teachers pend some of those days in professional development, they also organize nrichment activities, allowing students to apply what they learned earlier i the week. In addition, secondary school teachers hold office hours, here students can benefit from one-on-one or small-group tutoring. Transportation to and from school is offered free of charge. After one year, test scores in the district are rending upward, Smith said.

Several high school students have earned college credit and job skills. do this to save money; we did this because we wanted to give our kids more uninterrupted time to learn and then, on that (fifth day), more time for individual help and more time to explore their Smith said. Iowa, letting schools get more creative in how they teach kids, a nd I think a good WEEK Continued from Page 1A Anew exhibit titled, ood in the which details history in the film industry, will debut on June 27 at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The display tells how Iowa has been portrayed on film and explores the beauty of historic theaters and their role in commu- ities, as well as the people who ave made an impression on creen and behind the scenes, state officials said. he exhibit will also trace stage and screen heritage from opera houses and Vaudeville performances to modern filmmaking.

It is expected to remain at the historical museum for at least two years. it comes to the movies, the best ones capture our common bonds as people. This new exhibit reflects the contributions Iowa and Iowans have made in bringing magic to the movies in said Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Mary Cownie. The announcement of the opening was made Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who were joined by Cownie. They spoke at a podium next to an Oscar received by Iowa- born actress Cloris Leachman, a 1 947 graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School who won it for Best Supporting Actress in Last Picture in 1971. The arrival of the exhibit follows the 25th anniversary of one of most famous movies, of starring Kevin Costner, which was made in Dyersville in northeast Iowa. ranstad said Iowa has had a fascinating relationship with the movie industry, recalling how in his younger days he watched drive-in movies on an outdoor screen between Clear Lake and Mason City.

He also told of learning about the movie fame of a northern Iowa native, Stanley Leland Weed, who was born Forest City and starred in cowboy films in the late 1930s as ob Baker. The opening day will begin at 10 a.m. with an appearance by Iowa native Tom Arnold, who will talk about his rise from Ottumwa to his work as a comedian and Hollywood actor, appearing in more than 120 film and television projects. Related events will continue through the opening weekend, including tours, film screen- i ngs, and other activities. Artifacts that will be displayed at the exhibit include: A 1933 copy of Phil and a ticket from the 1945 World Premiere of in Des Moines.

A uniform from Mus ic in 1962. Props from i 1971. A replica 1919 Chicago White Sox uniform from the of in 1989. A bicycle used by Meryl Streep in Bridges of Madison in 1995. Donna Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Here to (1953), which will be on dis- lay during the opening week- nd and return later.

ersonalities featured in the exhibit will include novelist Os- ar Micheaux; the Blank and Fridley families, who have both been prominent in movie industry; and actors from across the state. Featured actors and actresses will include Leachman, Reed, John Wayne and Ashton Kutcher, among many others. The exhibit will also look at the role of historic theaters in Fort Madison, Charles City, Missouri Valley, Dubuque, Sioux City, Des Moines and other communities. in the is supported by the State Historical exhibit partners: Iowa Historical Foundation, Iowa Public Television, Produce Iowa the State Office of Media Production, and exhibit sponsors Bravo Greater Des Moines, Humanities Iowa and the Fred Maytag Family oundation. Lights! Camera! Historical exhibition! Lt.

Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks at a news conference Monday announcing a new exhibit, in the that will open June 27 at the State Historical Museum. She is flanked by Gov. Terry Branstad and ary Cownie, director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Included in the exhibit is Iowa-born actress Cloris Academy Award.

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