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. The first year-round school was opened in 1904 in Bluffton, Indiana with the intent to increase school-building capacity and improve student achievement (Palmer and Bemis). There are three types of year-round schooling; single-track, multi-track, and extended year. Single-track keeps all students and staff in the building at the same time running on the same schedule. Multi-track splits students and staff into different groups which follow different instructional and vacation schedules. There are advantages and disadvantages to all. A multi-track schedule allows a building to accommodate more students, but it poses the problem of having children from the same family on different school schedules (Palmer and Bemis). Extended year adds 15 to 20 days of instructional time which costs more money to school districts (Dessoff, 2011). Obama has called for longer school years to help American students compete with other countries of whose students attend school 25 to 30 percent longer than American students according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan (Dessoff, 2011). The three most common year-round schedules... ... middle of paper ... ... option. Resources Schulte, B. (2009, June 07). Year-round school? my kids love it. yourswwill, too. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/05/AR2009060501971.html Palmer, E., & Bemis, A. (n.d.). Year-round education. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/carei/reports/docs/year-round.pdf Dessoff, A. (2011). Is year-round schooling on track?. District Administration, 47(7), 34-36,40,45. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/year-round-schooling-track Year round education. (2008). Informally published manuscript, Iowa Policy Research Organization, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Retrieved from http://www.uiowa.edu/~ipro/Papers 2008/Year-Round_Schooling.pdf Yre schools on the web. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nayre.org/YRE Schools on the Web.html
Pearson, A. (n.d.). Year-Round School Advantages & Disadvantages. Education. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://education.seattlepi.com/yearround-school-advantages-disadvantages-2521.html
Accessed 4 June 2017. “Year-Round School Pros and Cons.” Year-Round School Pros and Cons - Blog, 11 May
... Year-Round Schools. Ed. Adriane Ruggiero. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 May 2014.
adaptations need to be made back to the year-round school. If society has continuously adapted
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...
This research indicates that those in support of this type of calendar see many benefits, but the most strongly supported evidence is the reduction of summer learning loss experienced by students, especially for English as a second language (ESL) and low income students. For those who oppose the balanced school year, some believe summer learning loss does not exist and some strongly argue that changing the school calendar is only warranted with proof of increased academic achievement for students. The Vancouver School Board is considering implementing a calendar change; in a June 2010 memorandum sent for review, “Balanced School Calendars: Pros and Cons” by Superintendent of Schools Steve Cardwell, the report summary states “the ever changing composition and needs of the students in this district make it reasonable to question whether a traditional school calendar remains the most beneficial option for our students” (1).... ... middle of paper ...
The traditional school calendar has been in effect for more than a century. By the middle of the nineteenth century rural areas the school year lasted for five to six months, based on the harvest schedule. In contrast, many schools in urban areas were open for eleven or twelve months. A uniform calendar was established in 1847 that is the traditional calendar of today. (Shields, 2000) There was resistance to this calendar from the beginning; people in urban areas had to go to school from much longer to receive the same education. YRE began in a premature form in 1904 in Bluffton, Indiana with a four-quarter schedule. (Speck, n.d.) YRE began to be popular in states like Texas, New Jersey, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. It ceased during WWII because national uniformity was felt to be essential to the war effort. Hayward, CA implemented at official YRE programs at Park Elementary School in 1968 to become the first YRE school after WWII. (Speck, n.d.) YRE schools began to sprout up all over the country after that. In 1969 the first multiple tract school was established in Missouri. Since the late 70’s YRE has picked up in popularity and is a continuing trend. According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, more than 2 million students attend close to 3,000 year-round schools in 41 states and 610 school districts, which is a dramatic increase compared to the early 1990’s. There have been a variety of YRE schedules and currently there is the choice of single or multi-track, options within both of those, and an extended school year.
There are various models of YRS that can be implemented, all of which are reconfigurations of the traditional, nine-month calendar. In some areas these models are known as alternative or modified calendars (Shields & Oberg, 2000) and they all have unique characteristics. Because of theses differences, school systems should spend some time analyzing which model will be best for their particular school; educators may find that some models work better than others depending on the school. Estimates on the exact number of year round schedules vary, although it has been estimated that at least 50 different scheduling patterns exist (Palmer & Bemis, 1999). The most common alternatives include the single track calendar and the multi-track calendar.
"Summer school? Should schools be in session year-round?" Know Your World Extra 18 Apr. 2008. General OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Students who are enrolled in a year-round school attend school for 180 days, the same number of days as students on a traditional calendar schedule. A year-round school calendar is formulated into nine-week quarters. Each quarter is separated by a three-week break called an intersession. There is still a summer vacation , but at four or five weeks, it is less than half that of a traditional school summer break, and does not provide enough time for students to completely forget what they learned all year. This solution actually reduces the problem. This school system has been proven to have positive effects on student achievement, especially for students with learning disabilities. The goal of year-round schooling is to create continuous or extended learning by adding hours to the days and days to the year. According to the benefits of year round education article, “Fifty years ago, most American households were supported by a working father, while mothers were expected to stay at home. However, the women’s movement of the 1970’s combined with the rise in divorce rate and the high cost of living, lead to a decline of stay at home mothers.”First, The shorter vacations implemented by year-round education and intersession are helpful to today’s working parents because it is a less expensive alternative to daycare or summer camps. Also, parents and teachers can schedule vacations
Many adolescents that live in North Dakota know the feeling of having to sit in school in August, when the weather is perfect for days on the lake or other activities. A majority of them are asking why they have to be in school during this time, when states such as Minnesota are still on break until September. To fix this inconvenience along with other frustrations would be to start the school year after Labor Day in September. To fix the predicament first people should know why starting school early is a problem, then have a clear solution to this problem, and finally know why other solutions that have been offered to compensate are not as favorable.
Family vacations, pool memberships, and corn de-tasseling; these have been the experiences of traditional Midwestern summers. For centuries young American children have attended school during the winter months, during farming off seasons when their families could afford to be without them. Families have grown accustomed to a traditional school calendar that provides time for bonding throughout the year. Students have grown accustomed to an eight week break during the summer months where they are allowed to refresh their minds before returning for a new school year. Unfortunately, these traditional experiences and practices are now in jeopardy. In today’s race to improve student achievement, traditional school calendars have become a point of contention. Today more and more school districts and parents alike have begun to debate the pros and cons of an alternative school calendar.
Saunders, M. (2004, September 7). Try year-round school: The lazy days of summer may hurt children who struggle in school the rest of the time. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, pp. 14A, Retrieved November 6, 2004, from Lexus-Nexus.
To have year round schooling it much more expensive than a regular school year, to have school year round it, can cost “up to $1,300 more per student.” Also, most students in high school have a summertime job for those three months. But, if schooling was year round teens wouldn't be able to work in the summer. So the amount of times teens can work would decrease. In addition, kids would be much busier with school year around because of all the work and less free time to do whatever. For instance, kids with a lot of homework, projects and other things from school wouldn’t allow them to do things they like in their free time. For example, kids wouldn't be able to hang out with friends, family, play travel sports, or go on vacations because of the lack of free time they would get with school year
Day or School Year: A Systematic Review of Research." Sage 80.3 (2010): 401- 36. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.