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There’s a difference between what’s best for students in general and
what’s best for kids. That difference may be year-round education.
Year-round
education has gained popularity as another option to improve America’s struggling
education system. Many believe that students completely shut down mentally over
the summer, forgetting everything they learned that year. That makes the first
month back from summer a review month, instead of a progression month.
But, to many,
summer is a long-held tradition of going to fairs and pools, sleeping in and
catching up with friends. It’s a needed, extended break from the everyday grind
of school and homework. It’s a tradition many kids and parents aren’t willing
to give up.
Right now, most schools
operate on roughly a 10-month (180 days) calendar with a two-month summer
vacation. In year-round schooling, students attend for 45 straight days then
have 15 days off. Some schools run 60
straight days with 20 days off, and others operate on 90-30 splits.
Some schools use
a single-track system where all students attend the same 45 days and then have
the same 15 days off. However, others use multi-track systems with multiple
groups of students, altering vacations so there are always some students in
school and some on vacation. This keeps their facilities open all year.
This can help schools educate more students
each year as they constantly cycle students in and out. If they plan correctly,
they can even offer smaller class sizes. Research consistently indicates that smaller
class sizes improve learning and test scores for example, the ISEE.
Educators and
politicians see year-round schooling as an opportunity to add a few more
days…or even a few more weeks to the typical school calendar, dropping them in
to shorten the already-smaller breaks. To them, there’s no such thing as too
much education.
However, research
does not quite indicate that. Researcher Elena Silva, a policy analyst
at Education Sector, suggests that more time in school is not the
solution, but rather more quality time. Her publication, “Economics of Education Review,” states
that more schooling does not equate to higher achievement. However, more
engaged students yield higher achievements.
Year-round education simply makes school more tedious. It’s something
students have to do every single day, all year long. That doesn’t seem
engaging. Then, if the solution is more engagement, is the answer less
schooling? Probably not.
However, nearly all other foreign countries have year-round schooling.
And everyone knows many foreign countries simply have better education systems.
So, if we want our students to compete in a global economy, it might be best to
prepare them similarly.
Many Southern and even Midwestern schools reject year-round schooling
simply because of resources. The costs of installing and running air
conditioning units is just too high for schools to actually offer summer
classes.
Also, summer gives high school students a great opportunity to work and
save up for college. Tuition and student loan debts have soared recently; any
dent students can make before college would be incredibly valuable.
This guest post article was
written and provided by Janice Mitchell who is a stay-at-home mother and has
homeschooled her children with the help of VarsityTutors.com for over 10 years.
