When the concept of advisory was first introduced, it presented itself as an initiative designed to offer students an additional hour for intervention, enrichment, and college readiness. Dr. Carla Gonzales, the Chief Schools Officer, spoke optimistically about its potential in early May of 2023. However, the 2023-2024 school year has proven that the expectations for advisory have not been met and it has instead become an hour of wasted time for both students and teachers. It is now clearer than ever that advisory needs to be reformed or removed.
One of the main purposes of advisory was to have an open-ended nature, allowing students who did not need tutoring to have a variety of options for how they spend that time. However, in practice, it has become apparent that most students are simply working on their previous classwork or passing the time by using their phones. The hope of club meetings, SAT prep, and other constructive activities being held during the period has diminished.
District officials intended to encourage student participation by recording grades and attendance during advisory. Despite their intention, this system, which was meant to get students to take this period more seriously, has not been successfully implemented. As a result, most students have no incentive to engage actively in advisory, choosing to ditch the period rather than sit mindlessly for an hour.
There is also a negative impact on extracurricular activities despite district officials claims advisory would not affect them. Shifting the entire schedule for advisory has left CCTE students with only 25 minutes for lunch, which is barely enough time to eat, let alone socialize or relax. The rush during lunch affects their following period, causing students to arrive late and as a result hinder their learning. In addition to these students who were already struggling to make it to work on time at the end of the school day, are now even more disadvantaged, with an additional 10 minutes of delay.
While filled with good intent, advisory has proven to be a disappointment. It has failed to live up to its promise of providing a flexible and productive hour for students. In reality, advisory has proven time and time again to be an hour of frustration, wasted time, and missed opportunities for students and teachers alike. The district’s execution of advisory has fallen short and should be removed from the schedule.
