The Benefits of Year-Round Education

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The United States has a long and proud history of providing public education to its citizen’s children. The fundamental idea behind the creation of this educational system was that it be available to all, regardless of geographical location or family status. In the era that this initiative was generated many of America’s families lived and worked on farms, and children were a vital part of this lifestyle. The founders of the United States’ public schools had to create a plan that included all children, even those who were expected to perform agricultural work in the harvest season. Thus, the nine-month school calendar was brought into use, allowing farming children a three month break from school in the summer to aid their families in the crop yield. In time, youth participation in farming became outdated and obsolete, and this arrangement slipped from necessity to simply being a tradition held on to through the years. In our modern era, a year-round school calendar would benefit the teachers, students, and finances of America’s public schools. Teachers would firstly benefit from an implementation of year-round school by additional income earning opportunities. In a year-round system, several “tracks” are established, so that the students and teachers on each track rotate through periods of vacation and school time. Teachers who are on vacation constitute a pool of substitute teachers. The benefit to the teacher is the opportunity to earn money beyond that provided in the contract (Quinlan, 71). This is a revolutionary means for teachers to have both full-time teaching careers and a means to earn needed money on the side. In a nine-month calendar, educators have few chances to actively earn money by teaching during the summer bre... ... middle of paper ... ...even more saving for the school and the taxpayers. The founders of the American public school system had a dream that all of America’s youth would have the opportunity to attend school in the best way possible for the times. The educational leaders of today must take up the same mission of providing the best school system imaginable for our modern era. Yearlong education is the solution to many problems that plague teachers, students, and school budgets. Works Cited Mutchler, Sue E. “Year-Round Education” SEDL Insights Pg. 3-6 (1993). Print. United States. California State Dept. of Education, Los Angeles. Year-Round Education: Year-Round Opportunities. A Study of Year-Round Education in California. By Claire Quinlan. Pg. 43, 71-72 Sacramento, CA: Publications Sales, California State Department of Education, 1987. Print.

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