Schools Should Not Run All Year

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.

During summer, many students forget what they learned the year before, and teachers must review material done last year. People in year-round schools believe that because of the shorter breaks, teachers have to spend less time reviewing material, and can move forward in their teaching. According to the National Education Association, “one of the main reasons for switching to year-round schools is to improve with student academics.” Although there is no proof, many schools believe a year-round schedule helps improve students academic skills.

Many teachers take graduate classes during the summer vacation period to catch up with new curriculums and advances in technology. Teachers will find attending professional conferences, staff development activities, and college courses more difficult. A teacher who was part of a year round system recounts, "I found myself going through 3 school years without that opportunity for self-assessment and planning for the future of the educational program." ("The Effect of Year Round Schools" 1999/22 February 2005). With a much shorter summer break, teachers will not have enough time to increase their education, which can benefit the learning of their students. For these reasons, year round schools are not as beneficial as the traditional school year.

Imagine a school year that never ends. A year without summer, relaxation, and vacations with family. Summer is the time of year that every student cannot wait arrive. But what if the playful time filled with friends, smiles, and laughter did not exist? What if school remained in session year-round? This is happening in 3,181 schools across America and is gradually increasing (edweek.org). The government calls it: Year-Round School. There are both many pros and cons to this controversial issue in today’s education; however, Year-Round School is not a good decision because of the social outcomes, the financial costs, and the academic effects that Year-Round School burdens on the students.

I think it's funny that the subject of year-round school is still a topic of debate. The reason is I just want to have good teachers and get a good education. I really don't care when and how the schedule is set up because I know my mom and dad will support me and get me to where and when I need to be. But, if I had a choice I would choose to have a schedule similar to what Nick Castellino writes about in his letter. I feel that of the two letters Nick wrote the one I agreed with more. Nick's letter, seemed to me, to be mainly about doing away with year-round school.

Year-round schooling is a good idea because it cuts down on the set backs of long breaks. The summer break that everyone knows and loves used to have a different purpose then just swimming in the sun. In the 19th century the children going to school also worked on family farm, so they used this summer “vacation” to help get ready for the winter months. (McFadden and McMahon) Now that there is less farming families schools do not have to worry about that. By the end of the year, YRS

Does year round school truly have a positive impact in the lives of students? Various studies do suggest that year round school is helpful. There are some disadvantages to this type of schooling that are preventing all schools from switching to this type of scheduling. In earlier times schools were only teaching throughout half of the year so that school would be out of session when it was time to work in the fields. This type of scheduling is still common today even though only a small portion of agriculture is tied into education and kids are no longer required to work. “In 1994, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning (1994) urged school districts to develop school calendars that acknowledged (a) differences in student learning and (b) the major changes taking place in American society. The report reflected growing concern about how the school calendar relates to students at risk for academic failure” (Cooper, Nye, Charlton, James, & Greathouse). As a result. many are fighting for year-round school. Year-round school has proven to be beneficial in the lives of students and has lead to greater success in the classroom. Although, there are some downfalls to year-round schooling.

The first reason why kids should have a summer break is that it makes school less complicated. According to Jennifer Brozak, a disadvantage of having a year round school is that the school budget has to increase. They will need to have more fundraisers in order to keep the school going. If they neglect to get the amount of money they need they sometimes cancel and let the students have a summer break. In addition, teachers are having difficulty with planning lessons for students and grading papers in a short amount of time they have (Brozak). In addition, Brozak says, because of the short amount of time teachers have to grade papers they are prone to burnout. This is one of the reasons that schools should have a summer break because both teachers and students’ mental pressure because of work (Brozak). As a student, I can say that breaks will be necessary to recharge and prepare myself

In the article, “How Much Does Stress Affect Learning by , it says , “Stress…negatively affects the way children pay attention in class, stay on task, and are able to move from one activity to another.” This stress that students deal with is not a good thing and it can also cause teachers to become stressed. The short breaks that come with a year-round school year allows students to get rid of this stress, and relax. In the article, “Year-round schooling:An overview” it states, “teachers and students experience less stress and burnout during year-round schedule because of the multiple short breaks available throughout the year.” This reveals the fact that year-round schooling can decrease the level of stress a teacher or student has opposed to the basic school year. The short breaks that come with a year-round school year allows students to get rid of this stress, and relax. It also gets rid of the mental problems that come with the stress.

Why is a year-round school a bad idea? Having a summer vacation gives students motivation throughout the school year. It is a bad idea to make our winter break longer than summer break because some students work over the summer, students are not getting the best education they could, and they will not have much time to spend with their family.

Year-round schooling is characterized by its 45-90 day periods of instruction (varying with different multitrack systems) separated by 15-30 day breaks (varying with different multitrack systems) (California Department of Education). There is no current scientific evidence to show that year-round education lessens the amount of material forgotten during the summer (McMillen 68); in fact, this memory loss is maximized as it occurs more frequently as it accompanies the shorter, habitual breaks. Constant breaks can also multiply some of summer’s negative effects. One common issue associated with summer is students’ loss of focus as summer approaches and trouble becoming accustomed to the beginning of the following school year (Worsnop 439). This would be a, though minimized, a recurring difficulty with constant breaks. Furthermore, teachers

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.

Some students even get behavioral issues if they spend an extended amount of time in their classroom (“Advantages and Disadvantages Year-Round School”). If students attend year round they tend to miss out on advanced courses offered by the school, because these classes are usually during the summer. Even the teachers are unable to take classes that they are required to take for teaching, since they are usually teaching when they offer the class (“Year-Round School”). Some of these schools aren’t even designed for students to be in session year-round the students put more wear and tear on these building (“Year-Round Education Program Guide”). The maintenance people usually don’t get the three months to clean the schools during the summer they have to find a time where the students are

There are shorter breaks in summer and holidays. First there are less time for kids to lose information in summer and over holidays. Over longer breaks students will lose about two months of math information. Summer is shorter than some breaks. Although kids will have a harder time to pay attention in class if they have a calenderer of breaks and they know when they get out. Still they won't get anything done.

Year-round schooling even brings Summer break difficulties, given the seemingly endless school year. If students are still in school over the Summer, it’s difficult for parents to schedule meaningful family time. Students are even missing out on unique, important learning opportunities. Missing out on experiences and lessons you can’t get in a classroom. Summer break is the main relief teachers have after an intense school year.