It’s Summer Vacation WOHOOO… or is it. Schools and districts around the country have been starting to implement year-round schooling for their students after the idea has been in the air of discussion since the 1970s. Year-round schooling is a system when the usual yearly summer break is switched to a series of smaller breaks throughout the year, usually lasting 2-4 weeks before the students return to school. The most used form of year-round schooling is the 45-15 plan, in which students attend school for 45 days then get 15 days off. Even though there hasn’t been much national news coverage, the number of year round schools has been on a rise of 764 or about 26% since 2007 and in some places it’s only getting more popular by the school
Year-round schools have gained popularity among the United States, being a very communicated topic within middle class communities. These schools are generally argued about by whether they are beneficial or not. While there are many advantages to year-round schools, there are some disadvantages as well. A few of these disadvantages include the expenses of the schools, the schedules the schools provide, the involvement within the schools, and the actual effectiveness of these schools.
This is how the Year-Round School format would work. Students would attend school for a certain amount of days, and then the students would receive a longer break period. This would be repeated all year long. Primarily, the education administration is taking the summer break and splitting it equally throughout the year (nayre.org). The school districts that Year-Round School will help students, yet it may actually hurt them socially. For example, the long summer break provides students with the exciting opportunities such as camps and family vacations. These are learning opportunities that take place outside of the classroom by teaching young children valuable life skills including patience, teamwork, and tolerance (ltisdschools.org ). Also, teenagers may
Summer break is supposed to be a time of rest and rejuvenation for students. After nine months of hard work and challenging classes, one would think such a long break could do nothing but good for students; however, this is not the best way for young minds to learn. A three month break is far too long for children to go without proper education and supervision. Instead of a long three month break at the end of each school year, why not give students the same number of days off but spread them out more frequently throughout the year? Year-round education is a more efficient, globally competitive, and fair alternative to the traditional nine month school year.
Most students enjoy summer vacation, but some educators feel that the summer break is too long and that students do not retain information as easily when they return in the fall. Some people argue that there should be year-round schools, where there would by a 3-4 week break in the summer, a long winter break, and a week off in the spring and fall. I disagree with those people. The biggest problem with this schedule would be the summer break, it just isn’t long enough. I believe year-round school is a bad idea because summer break is a time when students get to take a break, parents may not be able to find a caretaker during the shorter breaks, and schools may not have sufficient funds.
You know that summer vacation that you always take with your family? Well if the school board switches to year-round schooling, you will no longer be able to have that vacation. Year-round schooling is turning into a world-wide new experience. With going to school all year long it ruins old traditions like that family vacation in the summer, and having that long stretch of summer relaxation by the pool and on the beach. Some other issues with year-round schooling is the rising cost and schedule adjustments.
Have you ever wondered what the difference between traditional schooling and year-round education is? Maybe you didn’t know that there are more than one type of year-round education. A year-round school schedule can benefit educators, students, and even families. Year-round schooling is where the breaks in school are on a balanced schedule. Instead of having a three month summer break, there would be 60 days off and then the students would be back to school. If on a multi track schedule, teachers could use their off time to substitute at their school on a different track or at another school to get paid more. For students, the shorter breaks away from school increase retention rates, therefore reducing the amount of review necessary at
Should kids have a summer break or have year round schooling? I think that that students should have summer break because of the complications it brings with having a year-round schooling.
Have you ever thought about how year-round schooling can be beneficial to students? In today’s society, many school districts have been switching from a standard school year to year-round schooling. Year-round schools follow the basic 180 day school year, but the days are more spread out throughout the year following the 45-15 method. Forty five days of school, followed by fifteen day breaks. Year-round schooling is beneficial to many because it prevents students from gaining unwanted weight and causes less stress for teachers and students.
Industries such as business and medicine depend on extreme methods and forward thinking ideas. To be a successful enterprise, one must be willing to take risks and try new things. Within the last century, education has attempted to take a leap of faith by completely flipping the traditional school schedule and idea of summer vacation upside down. Just as with any idea, there are advantages and disadvantages as well as supporters and opponents. Each district must look at their own individual needs and evaluate the trials from schools that have gone before them to decide if year-round schooling would benefit their school.
Gone are the days of children getting off of school to help their family farms during the summer. Now, children as well as the teachers get out for some much needed relaxation. So why do we still follow the same schedule? It seems every school year the discussion of year-round education captures the attention of the general public. Is it time for year-round education (YRE) to be the new norm? Ultimately, there are not that many pros for year-round schooling to be the new thing and the traditional 180-day schedule should be kept.
Single-track schools, which can make up as much as 87% of year-round schools in areas such as North Carolina, “cost as much or more than traditional school programs” (McMillen 68). The expenses that contribute to this are costs such as the salaries for auxiliary educators to replace those who have chosen to go on break (California Department of Education). While teachers are on break, other educators will most likely be using the classroom, leaving teachers struggling to find ways to store larger educational tools such as posters, student work from previous years, etc. and end up looking to the school to provide storage accommodations. In conjunction with these regular payments, there would also be lengthier maintenance work, which would be very challenging to carry out when there are constantly students in session (California Department of Education). Additional expenses could also include temperature control and food costs, which would be greater due to full year usage. The monetary effects of year round school could also be significant on a moderately broader scale. “In 2000, Texas found the economic costs of starting school in early August totaled US$370 million in lost summer employment, lowered tourism spending, and additional air conditioning costs.” (“Leave Those Kids” 5). Loss of tourism and summer employment
Alison DeNisco reports that the number of year-round public schools have increased by 26 percent from 2007 to 2012. There are now more than 3,700 year-round schools nationwide. 55 percent of students come to year-round schools, and studies show that kids grades 3rd to 6th have improved ACT scores. The kids get a 6-week summer break, and 10 days off for every 45 days of classes. However, if the kids want more learning time, there is a bonus learning time during breaks. Most students that attend year-round school only go for a few years and then switch back to the normal 180 school day calendar.
The topic of year around school has been brought up many times throughout my time in school. Though it has been brought up, it has not actually been considered by my fellow students and I. We have all taken surveys regarding it and most of the people I know have been against it. With our school being in a small town in Iowa I do not think having year round schooling would benefit us or the community.
"They do not view YRE as a calendar configuration for space, achievement, or enrichment, but rather as a part of the transformation toward a philosophy of long continuous learning." (Guthrie). One of the main purposes of Year-Round Schooling is to lower the break time between school sessions. This causes children to have a better chance of retaining the knowledge that they learned from the previous year (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). Year-round schools consist of the same amount of school days, 180 days, the difference is that it is spread out over 12 months instead of the original 10. When the original school schedule was made, it was made for families who farmed in the summer. Modern day Americans do not have to focus on the economic issue
Schools around the U.S. are switching to a calendar called year-round school. Kids in year-round schools go to school from six to nine weeks without breaks and a two-to-four week break. There has been a debate on whether Florida should go to year-round or not. Florida should go to year-round school because there is less teacher and student burnout, and teachers would have to spend less time reviewing material that would be lost over summer break. Regular schools give teachers an advantage because it allows teachers more time to prepare for the next school year and finalize grades, but Florida should go to year-round school because the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.