Why year round school

For low-income students who lose more of their literacy development during the three months of summer, year-round schooling can be quite beneficial. When teachers are required to be on campus year-round, struggling students have access to regular tutoring and support they otherwise would not have in the summer months.

Shorter breaks between school terms mean that students are able to avoid gaps in learning. Proponents of year-round schooling mention other benefits:. The traditional schooling calendar was created to allow children to harvest crops with their families when the U.

Few children need this anymore regardless of rural, suburban or urban settings. Fueling much of the year-round school debate is the notion that frequent breaks sandwiched between six to eight weeks of schooling create a stop-and-start routine that slows progress.

Research has not been able to prove that children in year-round school experience significant improvements in literacy development. Parents complain that short two-week vacations make it difficult to find childcare. The disruption to people's current nine-month schooling plans seems obvious. Few people like this kind of change unless it results in unprecedented success rates, which the year-round school debate has yet to uncover.

Several countries have academic years that go year-round. Japan's school year runs April through March. Japan is on a trimester system, with breaks between each trimester.

Australia's school year begins in late January and ends in mid-December. One of the main topics in the year-round school debate is how much time kids from other nations spend in school versus students in the U. The United States requires schools to operate days per year with students attending most schools on a a. Less instructional time is spent on review in year-round schools. Teaching at a year-round school means receiving a year-round salary.

This is a pro that any teacher can get behind. Cons Summer vacation provides a much-needed break for teachers and students who need time to refresh rejuvenate after working hard for nine straight months. Disclaimer: T he views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of American College of Education.

Brooke McGuire, Ed. She's currently the director of teaching and learning at her district. Related Posts Tips From the Classroom. Last Name. Phone Number. Zip Code. Currently there are no programs available in your state. Preferred Start Date. One fine body….

The Congressional Research Service reports that year-round schools are more common in the South and West than in the Northeast and Midwest. The growth in part reflects the traction the idea has gained with state and federal lawmakers in recent years and the increasing availability of funding to support new schedules. The National Association for Year-Round Education, which advocates for and collects research on the topic, was also resurrected in after an eight-year hiatus.

At the same time, some districts that adopted year-round schedules in the past have changed course. Instead of having one long summer break, year-round schools break the academic year up with several medium-sized think two- or three-week vacations. This is often referred to as a balanced calendar. The length of breaks and marking periods vary. Some schools have four day sessions followed by day breaks; others have three day academic sessions followed by 20 days of break; and some have two day sessions and two day breaks.

The Congressional Research Service found that the average year-round school is open days per year—nine days longer than the standard day year. Schools in which the entire student body is on a single year-round calendar are called single-track schools. In other schools, especially where year-round schooling has been adopted to reduce overcrowding, groups of students at the same school have different academic calendars.

This is referred to as multitracking. The academic case for year-round school stems from studies that show that the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers is exacerbated during the summer.

But the current research on the academic impact of year-round calendars is inconclusive. One meta-analysis of research from the University of Minnesota, published in , found that 42 studies showed no positive impact from year-round school, while 27 studies showed a significant positive impact.

A review in also found a small positive impact from year-round learning. The authors of that review also raised concerns about the quality of relevant research. A study indicates that more advanced students were more likely to benefit from additional days in school than their peers who struggled academically.

And a study of multitracked schools in California found that students were more often tracked along racial and ability levels than in schools with traditional calendars.

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