Some people say the traditional calendar of one hundred eighty days no longer meets the needs of American society. They point out that students in most other industrial countries are in school more hours a day and more days a year.
Critics also say a long summer vacation causes students to forget much of what they learned.
Schools are under pressure to raise test scores. Some have changed their calendars to try to improve student performance. They have lengthened the school day or added days to the year or both.
This can be costly if schools need air conditioning on hot days and school employees need to be paid for the extra time.
Local businesses may object to a longer school year because students are unable to work as long at summer jobs.
Some schools have a year-round schedule. The school year is extended over twelve months. Instead of a long vacation, there are many short ones.
The National Association of Year-Round Education says almost five percent of public school students attend year-round schools. It says almost all of the states have some public schools that are open all year.
What are your thoughts on Year Round Schooling? Would this work out for your family? Why or Why Not?
I love yr round school! We had it last yr & it was nice being able to have a break mid year. My son got sick less & really enjoyed school instead of getting burnt out by it. I guess it was also nice because we have family in different states & we were able to have them visit at different times through out the yr.
Sadly this coming yr we have moved into a district with a traditional school yr & I am dreading it.
When we lived in Colorado, my dd attended a school that was truly a year round school (this year round calendar was only used at the elementary level). It took some getting used to, but we really liked it. The op claims that it may cost more to keep the school open all year, however, our school district saved money since they built less schools to accommodate their students.
It's a strange set up, but basically it works like this:
There are 4 tracks. Each track has a staggered start and end date. The students are in school for 9 weeks, then off for 3. They "track on" and "track off" 4 times a year. Students keep the same teacher, but their classroom changes every time they track back on, since the room will be used for the track that's currently enjoying a break. It's confusing, at first, but it works. In this day and age, with school budgets getting slashed, it will not surprise me to see other districts adopt this calendar. Since the money isn't there right now to build more schools, districts will have to be creative.
We moved to Arizona and my children currently attend a school with a modified schedule. They have a shortened summer (2 months), but they get 2 weeks off after each quarter ends. I am the registrar and I can't tell you how many parents react to this like it's a year round school. Huh...if they only knew....
Boy, that would suck. We'd have to kiss our family vacations goodbye, and forget going to the pool. The kids aren't the only ones around here who look forward to the summertime. Mom and Dad look forward to summer with the kids out on the lake and camping.
Besides - our public school systems are so pathetic, that there's no way they should keep the kids longer. It would never be worth the extra money it would cost. Come on now - these are OUR kids, not the state's. WE should be the ones raising them - not the state.
Eh - if they try to go to a school system like that, we'll definitely pull our kids out of school once and for all, and homeschool until they graduate. Maybe I won't have to worry about that happening before my kids have all graduated anyway. They're all teens now....
I personally HATE the idea! I enjoy having my kids home for our summers, which are short as is. We don't do much vacationing at all if any during the winter. Our school is mostly during the long and cold winter months. My children get out at the end of June and go back in the beginning of September. They only have 9 weeks vacation as it is.
If they want to help our students keep up to par with other students in other countries there are other ways to go about it. Such as smaller class sizes and better teachers. As for forgetting stuff over the summer, blame that on the parents. I see nothing wrong with making your kids read, write and practice math over the summer. My kids do.
I went to a school that had the ACE program which was year around schooling and also had traditional schooling. You got to choose which program you wanted to be in. I'm not longer sure if the school still does that but I was in the ACE program. I didn't get a summer vacation but instead I would get longer breaks for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays. I believe my x-mas break was 3 weeks and my thanksgiving was like 2. It wasn't to bad I just didn't have a summer.
Would year around schooling work for my family. I dont know. My husband is military and when my son does start school PCSing would usually take place in the summer. If my son is still in school during the summer that means he still hasn't fulfilled the requirements to pass.
If we are somewhere for a while and they offer year around schooling I would probably try it. If it worked then I'd keep him in it however thinking back to being a kid a lot of people like their summers especially for family trips. I could always send him to a tutor or something or just work with him at home so he doesn't forget the stuff he learned.
I love the idea of year round schooling and can't stand how much time my children are not in school. I have two of them beg for school work all the time because they love it and one daughter who is suffering due to the lack of time in school.
This is an advantage to homeschooling. You decide to do it all year round. Yeah I am looking into homeschooling just for this reason. I already do supplemental homeschooling with the two children that are begging for work. And with the four year old who wants to do what her siblings do.
You have to keep in mind though that school does allow them to have ample socilization. You can take them to conventions and the zoo but that isn't the same socilization that they would get at school. Conventions and what not aren't every week things either.
Quoting MawagaMom:
I love the idea of year round schooling and can't stand how much time my children are not in school. I have two of them beg for school work all the time because they love it and one daughter who is suffering due to the lack of time in school.
This is an advantage to homeschooling. You decide to do it all year round. Yeah I am looking into homeschooling just for this reason. I already do supplemental homeschooling with the two children that are begging for work. And with the four year old who wants to do what her siblings do.
I would hate for my children to have year round school, I as well as my children have always looked forward to those three uninterrupted months to spend together doing things and enjoying our lives together as a family.
I can see the pros and cons.
Pro: Better retention and less time reviewing and wrapping up for the year.
Con: Employment for teens. Families are used to summer vacations.
Would it work for us? My kids already are schooling all year because we home school.
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on Jun. 7, 2009 at 12:00 AM