The chapter addressed Year Round Education. Do you feel Year Round Education would be beneficial, why or why not?
39 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Year round education would be of great benefit to our students.
The school calendar as we know it was orignally made for an agricultural society, so the children could help at home. We have progressed as a society beyond this need and our education system needs to reflect that.
Year round school offeres the potential of a decrease in "summer lapses", resulting in greater retention throughout the year. Families could have more options for vacations, as opposed to just the summer, which can result in decreased absences and a decrease in teacher burnout. Not to mention the many possibilities of remediation and enrichment that could be offered over breaks and help add to the success of our students.
While it will take a great change agenet to move to year-round school, research shows many of the benefits.
Absolutely! I'm bothered by the 3-4 weeks (minimum) of lost instructional time that our kids experience every school year (1-2 weeks at the beginning and 1-2 more at the end). For our struggling student - the Ruby Payne kids, if you will - that lost time, coupled with the lost time from summer vacation, adds up to us creating a systematic way to help those kids fall further behind each year.
In addition, adjusting our school year would allow us to move away from our "one-shot" staff development model and begin using one that gives teachers regular time throughout the year to work on authentic professional development. Say it was a 9 weeks on, two weeks off model for kids, but teachers worked for one of the off-weeks (two days for paperwork/administration, three days for PD embedded in collaborative planning) - that would go a long way to alleviating the stress and fatigue that builds up so steadily every year and burns us all out.
I'm going to speak for the teachers. I love my summer break! The summer is the only time I can be a full-time student at RU and get financial aid. If it wasn't for the summer, it would take me ten years to complete this program.
In all seriousness though, it would probably be more benefical to students for us to go year round. I hear all of the time from the teachers in lower grades, "You mean they didn't know that!! We spent three weeks on that last year!" Students do take a break not just physically, but mentally over the summer. Students would be able to get a continuous education that as Christy said is proven by research to be more effective.
I like the idea of year round schoo. This topic came up during my internship this summer. My principal and looked at the information and you actually have more time off than during a normal summer vacation. I saw it as giving you goals to work toward not just that one big summer break.
I think the children would benefit greatly. If we did not think children needed more time or would not retain the information we would not pay teachers extra to teach in the summer!
I do believe that year round school has its positive benefits. While the students and staff would not be deprived of vacation time, it is not one long block of time. Instead it is spread out throughout the year, which would prevent "summer lapses", resulting in greater retention throughout the year. As Jonathan mentioned, I believe that one other positive aspect of year round school is the fact that it could offer more consistent and beneficial professional development opportunities.
Year round schools would greatly benefit students. When students are in school for a number of days, they have the tendency to "check out" just before a vacation (Christmas, spring break, summer vacation). This results in lack of focus and lower retention. When this happens, the job becomes more challenging for the teacher. If schools used the "weeks on, weeks off" model, there would be greater consistency in learning. Everyone, both students and teachers, would collaborate on a more routine basis.
Students in year –round schools attend school the same number of days as students in traditional nine month schools. Therefore, students are not receiving an advantage of more time in the classroom. The major benefit of year-round education is that it facilitates continuous learning as the students are not ever out of school for a long period of time. Students forget less over the shorter breaks and teachers do not use a lot of time reviewing after breaks. There are several advantages to using the year-round school. An advantage for parents is that they are not confined to taking vacations only in the summer or having to pull students out of school to take vacation when their jobs permit them to. An advantage for students is that their education is more continuous as well as during the breaks they can attend remediation or enrichment sessions if necessary. An advantage for teachers is that they can have mini-vacations between the school year or if they choose to they can work (and earn more money) during the remediation and enrichment sessions. An advantage to the school district is that students can be on a rotating schedule for schooling. For example, two different groups of students can attend the same school at different times which will reduce the cost of educating all students in their district. Many states still use the nine month school but many states such as California, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and even Virginia use year-round schools. There is a lot of research for the pro’s and cons of year-round education. I have not taught in a year-round program but I would be very open to teaching in a year-round school. It seems like there are more opportunities for student learning and teacher “mental” breaks or increased pay.
Year round education is an interesting concept that I would love to see considered by local school divisions. I can imagine the possibilities of benefit for many students for whom summer break is simply "time to forget." The amount of time spent at the beginning of the school year to bring students back to an instructional level could be added back to a time of learning in such a format.
I agree that in this day and age that year round schooling is an option to be considered. I think there are many misconceptions about year round school and that the public would need to be educated about. Most teachers I know do not seemed to be against year round schooling and limiting the amount of time a student is out of school seems like a no brainer.
I believe that year-round school would be a good thing! Students would benefit from it in many different ways that have already been stated. Students would not forget things so easily. Families would have great flexibility to do more things throughout the year instead of just in the summer. It would be an adjustment for everyone students, parents and teachers alike but after the adjustment would be the best case scenario for everyone.
Year round education could definitely have its advantages. Students are more likely to retain information learned and the beginning of each school year would not have to be spent on reviewing to see what information has been lost over the summer. Famililies would have more flexibility in planning opportunities and vacations that involve their children. Year round schooling would also support our more industrial and technological society. Because it is a different concept, and change can be difficult, the public would need to be well informed before possibly instituting such a change.
I agree with the majority of responses that year long education would benefit student achievement. Students would not have the "lapses" in their years that result in longer review and remediation period for teachers. I would stink for me because it would cut into my early morning tee times during part of the summer months, but hey it's not about me, right?
I worked in Year Round education in the 1970's in Prince William County, VA. As a beginning teacher it was great because I could select the length of my working contract. Options ranged from the traditional 180 days up to 240 days. It made a real difference in pay too. Even with 240 days, we still had vacations and holidays. There was a major difference in the "forgotten" information when students had three week breaks instead of three month breaks.
I agree that a year round calendar would be more beneficial to our students academically by facilitating continuous learning opportunities. One deterrent our division would face is that none of the thirteen schools are air-conditioned. Although that option was explored a few years ago, the cost was determined to be too great. I can't even imagine what it would be now. Therefore, during the hotter weather, we would be releasing early and, in effect, losing more instructional time.
I agree with year round schools for student learning, curriculum development options that Jonathan discussed, and options for teachers to work additional contract hours. I don't think that we have done a good job of letting teachers know about professioal opportunities if we went to a 12 month calendar. For almost thirty years, I have had a summer job to supplement my income. I know a lot of other teachers that do the same. It would be nice for teachers to be able to "choose" to do additional work to support student learning. This could be in the form of remediation and/or enrichment opportunities. I think parents would support this as well.
Based on the information in Chapter 15, Year Round Education has not shown itself to be of significant benefit..."Overall,there appears to be a slight, but not overwhelming advantage for YRE students in learning basic content." "In actuality there are no long-range studies to prove the superiority of traditional or YRE calendars in relation to knowledge retention or achievment." The easily documented advantages stem from increased capacity, finances, and accomodations to parental jobs. Other reported advantages are not grounded on research based statistics. Since YRE is not a new concept and has been carried in varying forms for many, many years, it would seem that if it was of great benefit, then authentic research would have been done to document its success. Therefore, the only stand I can take is one of personal preference, not whether I feel it would or would not be beneficial for students. I personally feel YRE would not be beneficial for me. I need the longest break possible to rest and re-energize. I have taught summer school a couple of summers and can say it honestly put me at a disadvantage when beginning the next school year.
I think that year round schooling would initially receive a lot of criticism, but would best meet the needs of learners. Other posters have commented on the "forget time" that summer provides to students. In my opnion,keeping students engaged and on task throughout the year would result in increased student achievement.
With that said... teachers do love summer break. I love being able to spend time with my daughters on an extended break and know that for many teachers this is seen as the one perk of teaching. If a move to year round schooling is made planners would need to pay special attention to providing lengthy breaks so that teachers would not feel that they were loosing a benefit.
I can see the benefits as everyone else has mentioned when it comes to students retaining information and not loosing some of it over the summer break. The idea of having many breaks throughout the school year would benefit students and families becasue it allows for vacations to be taken at different times and students would be given a long enough break to process their learning. It would also benefit parents who have to send their child to daycare in the summer. This may free up some financial burdens over summer breaks. I wonder how cost-effective it would be for school systems?
For me however summer is my favorite season and it's hard to imagine not being out of school (reality will set in if I become a principal). I wonder how families within my school district would react to this concept?
I totally agree that the year round school would be so much better for all stakeholders. As I look at the previous comments, I really could not add anything to the discussion. However, when I have asked why we do not use the year round school calendar, the conflict with the athletic calendar seems to be a common reason why.....go figure??? :)
I too agree with the majority of comments that are already here. I think that year round schooling would be a great benefit to students in regard to retaining information. I know that it may seem unattractive at first because students and staff feel that they would lose their summer break, but the breaks are still there they simply are shorter periods of time. I think that there are other benefits to year round schooling as well like easing parents burden of day care in the summer, providing more consistent support to those kids who are living in poverty situations where the school may be the most stable environment and source of nutrition that they have, and preparing students for their future success in a working world where most don't enjoy months of vacation at a stretch.
I agree that year round education would benefit student academic success and professional development for staff. I agree with Patricia that it would receive criticism until the masses would see the benefits. There are many families that would be all for the program . . .their children would receive free breakfast and lunch year round. Other families would be opposed due to summer traditions and invitational sports leagues already in place. Colleges and athletic programs across the nation would lose money because kids could not attend camps. The tourist industry would be reduced. Kids and families on vacation fuel the economy in lots of places. In my opinion, the economy would not let year round education happen at this point. Our county is cutting the budget left and right. Divisions would have to receive much more money from the state before this would be implemented even if family support is there. I would support year round education, but the "Big Picture" (ISLLC 6) needs to be considered.
I agree that the Summer break is far too much time away from the classroom. However, those of us who teach in older buildings understand that we need facilities which accomodate learning in the hotter months. I am totally in favor of year round education. At Pulaski Middle School, in the late Summer (August) and late Spring (June), we notice students who are less motivated because of the hot conditions. Students who are accustomed to AC at home have a difficult transition to the weather.
As more facilities are air conditioned we will be able to sustain a year round schedule and avoid this problem.
Most teachers I have spoken to agree that our students, teachers, and families would rather have year round education with breaks spread throughout the calendar. As always, money and facilities upgrades are an issue with making this change.
Many teachers also indicated that it isn't really fair to ask some students to attend school in the Summer and deal with the heat while others are in AC. I agree.
I have looked at several options for year round school and would love the opportunity to try such a schedule. I feel there would be a tough adjustment period, but after that I feel learning would be increased. Everyone needs time off (staff and students) and most year round schedules still give plenty of time off; while reducing the "summer lapses" Christy mentions.
Another point I'd like to add, we are living in a global society. We are constanly compared with other nations from an outcome (test result) basis (which is not a fair comparison - what other nation has NCLB), so we should be looking at what works for them, and be willing to accept their 'best practices'.
I absolutely believe that year around school would be beneficial for everyone. teachers would have periodic breaks, so as not to get so burned out. Children would have periodic breaks, but not so long that the previous learning would be lost. Parents would have more flexibility in vacation times as well.
I have to say that I agree with the group Ido agree thata there are many benfits to year round education. I also agree with Dr. McCracken that I could see benefits in pay as well. It would help with the lapses that students have due to breaks. Although it would be hard to give up the summer in terms of the actual education that studens get, it would be so much better for them as well as the stakeholders in the long run.
I have to say that I think year round school would benefit the students. I think it would have the biggest impact on low income students at my school. I know that some of them do not get any stimulating eduational experiences during the entire summer break. I do think it would be met by strong critisism at first over time I think it would be a winning model. One major drawback is that the school system has to have the facilities to accomplish this task. Many schools in our area are still without AC and I don't think it is very feasible to try it until they do.
What can I possibly add? :-) I strongly support year round education and frequently discuss the benefits with my fellow team teacher. Many of the benefits we discuss have been addressed in the previous comments.
One of the toughest issues that will need to be addressed if school districts are thinking about moving to year round education is the notion of 'summer break.' The argument will come from both teachers and students, but only because they are leary of change.
With the current school calendar, the majority of students and families take "summer" vacations. A year round calendar would allow families to travel during off-seasons (which would probably allow many more families to afford a vacation) and experience attractions that are at their peak in spring, winter, or fall seasons.
My cousins live in Tennessee and have had year-round schooling for about 5 years now. It seems like they are ALWAYS out of school, and as I write this on our last day of Thanksgiving Break, it is odd that I find myself counting the days until our next time off. Perhaps year round education would ease the stress levels of both teachers and students with more frequent periods of time off.
I agree with most of the posts, year round education would be a great benefit. Like with anything else though, it would not be for all of the students. The majority of students would reap the rewards of contiuous education without the long time off in the summer. What about the students that thrive with the system that we have now? Clay Moran
I have mixed feelings on year round education. Chapter 15 eluded to no real benefits for students. I believe students as well as teachers need time to re energize and re organize for the next level. I agree with much of what has been said, but I also look at it from a student perspective, especially high school; many students have summer jobs and are taking college classes. It would be advantageous to some, detrimental to others.
As a special educator, I embrace the idea of year round education. Extended school year services are currently available for our students, but difficult to prove the need. Year round schools would allow for instruction to be more focused with less need for review each Fall.
Everyone thinks that we get 3 months of summer vacation. But when I look at the calendar, I find that we have about 2 months of vacation. Since I have a college kid plus this master's degree to work on, I usually am looking for summer teaching work to help with payments. So a year-long school may actually help with my lifestyle. Teach as much as you want, have vacation days off -sounds good!
I believe there are benefits to both the traditional schedule and year round schooling. Neither has been able to prove definitively that they are better. I know what my children do all summer; sit around playing video games and begging their friends to come over. Occasionally, they will pick up a book or venture outside. I would hate to speculate on what most of my students are doing. I feel that children need moments to just be children but I don't feel that they need "3" months straight to do this.
I think John hit on something important when he mentioned the pay issue. Think about how great it would be to have our work year be more like that of other professionals. We could get three weeks of paid vacation to use ANY time during the year (any skiers out there?), and we'd get paid for an additional 8-10 weeks of work which would add 20-25% or so to our salaries.
Many of us work during much of our winter and spring breaks just to try to catch up, and we do our long-term planning in the summer. If we're going to work then anyway, we might as well get paid for it.
Year round education would be beenficial. Students seem to have difficulty retaining knowledge and skills during long breaks. My biggest concern would be for the students who utlilze the summer "break" for experiences that they normally could not get during the regular school year, ie. internships, long-term community -service placements, and extended learning opportunities.
I do think YRE would be beneficial in most settings. Unforunately, I don't ever see this happening within Floyd Co. due to "traditions" and lack of physical amenities (a/c). Some benefits I can think of: increased student achievement; improved attendance (I have had plenty of students "take a week off" for family vacation during the school year); a variety of opportunities for remediation and enrichment; improved motivation and morale for teachers and students!
I taught in a year round school for 4 years and it has both positive and negative points. I loved having two 6 week breaks during the school year (in March and September, no less) but to finish a school year one week and start the new school year the next week is AWFUL!!! There was definitely less time lost, though, at the beginning and end of the year. Students weren't off long enough to forget everything they had learned and there were remediation classes offered during off-track time, which really helped catch some students up. Teachers enjoyed the 2 vacations and it helped alleviate the burn out and stress that seems to hit by Spring. It was hard, however, to do things "whole staff" as there were always some teachers on vacation except for a few days a year and someone always had to be filled in about what had happened when they were gone. Students probably benefit more from it educationally than that long 10 week break plus the lost end and beginning of the school year.
I will have to agree with those who suggested that they would like to see year-round education. I believe that small breaks throughout the school year would be better for our students rather than a long summer break where important concepts are often forgotten. Teachers have to spend a great deal of time reteaching material at the beginning of each school year. However, before they determine yes to year-round schools, I would hope that Pulaski County would have airconditioning in all buildings, especially the one I am in!!
Currently we only have to motivate the students to get back on task after summer break, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas Break, and after spring break. For me getting them back into the swing of things after these four breaks is hard enough. With year round school this would be multiplied. Also students look foreword to the holidays and summer break and begin to wane in their efforts. Would this also occur with year round school. I can not say with certainty weather I am pro or con when it comes to year round school without actually seeing it in person.
39 comments:
Year round education would be of great benefit to our students.
The school calendar as we know it was orignally made for an agricultural society, so the children could help at home. We have progressed as a society beyond this need and our education system needs to reflect that.
Year round school offeres the potential of a decrease in "summer lapses", resulting in greater retention throughout the year. Families could have more options for vacations, as opposed to just the summer, which can result in decreased absences and a decrease in teacher burnout. Not to mention the many possibilities of remediation and enrichment that could be offered over breaks and help add to the success of our students.
While it will take a great change agenet to move to year-round school, research shows many of the benefits.
Absolutely! I'm bothered by the 3-4 weeks (minimum) of lost instructional time that our kids experience every school year (1-2 weeks at the beginning and 1-2 more at the end). For our struggling student - the Ruby Payne kids, if you will - that lost time, coupled with the lost time from summer vacation, adds up to us creating a systematic way to help those kids fall further behind each year.
In addition, adjusting our school year would allow us to move away from our "one-shot" staff development model and begin using one that gives teachers regular time throughout the year to work on authentic professional development. Say it was a 9 weeks on, two weeks off model for kids, but teachers worked for one of the off-weeks (two days for paperwork/administration, three days for PD embedded in collaborative planning) - that would go a long way to alleviating the stress and fatigue that builds up so steadily every year and burns us all out.
I'm going to speak for the teachers. I love my summer break! The summer is the only time I can be a full-time student at RU and get financial aid. If it wasn't for the summer, it would take me ten years to complete this program.
In all seriousness though, it would probably be more benefical to students for us to go year round. I hear all of the time from the teachers in lower grades, "You mean they didn't know that!! We spent three weeks on that last year!" Students do take a break not just physically, but mentally over the summer. Students would be able to get a continuous education that as Christy said is proven by research to be more effective.
I like the idea of year round schoo. This topic came up during my internship this summer. My principal and looked at the information and you actually have more time off than during a normal summer vacation. I saw it as giving you goals to work toward not just that one big summer break.
I think the children would benefit greatly. If we did not think children needed more time or would not retain the information we would not pay teachers extra to teach in the summer!
I do believe that year round school has its positive benefits. While the students and staff would not be deprived of vacation time, it is not one long block of time. Instead it is spread out throughout the year, which would prevent "summer lapses", resulting in greater retention throughout the year. As Jonathan mentioned, I believe that one other positive aspect of year round school is the fact that it could offer more consistent and beneficial professional development opportunities.
Year round schools would greatly benefit students. When students are in school for a number of days, they have the tendency to "check out" just before a vacation (Christmas, spring break, summer vacation). This results in lack of focus and lower retention. When this happens, the job becomes more challenging for the teacher. If schools used the "weeks on, weeks off" model, there would be greater consistency in learning. Everyone, both students and teachers, would collaborate on a more routine basis.
Students in year –round schools attend school the same number of days as students in traditional nine month schools. Therefore, students are not receiving an advantage of more time in the classroom. The major benefit of year-round education is that it facilitates continuous learning as the students are not ever out of school for a long period of time. Students forget less over the shorter breaks and teachers do not use a lot of time reviewing after breaks. There are several advantages to using the year-round school. An advantage for parents is that they are not confined to taking vacations only in the summer or having to pull students out of school to take vacation when their jobs permit them to. An advantage for students is that their education is more continuous as well as during the breaks they can attend remediation or enrichment sessions if necessary. An advantage for teachers is that they can have mini-vacations between the school year or if they choose to they can work (and earn more money) during the remediation and enrichment sessions. An advantage to the school district is that students can be on a rotating schedule for schooling. For example, two different groups of students can attend the same school at different times which will reduce the cost of educating all students in their district. Many states still use the nine month school but many states such as California, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and even Virginia use year-round schools. There is a lot of research for the pro’s and cons of year-round education. I have not taught in a year-round program but I would be very open to teaching in a year-round school. It seems like there are more opportunities for student learning and teacher “mental” breaks or increased pay.
Year round education is an interesting concept that I would love to see considered by local school divisions. I can imagine the possibilities of benefit for many students for whom summer break is simply "time to forget." The amount of time spent at the beginning of the school year to bring students back to an instructional level could be added back to a time of learning in such a format.
I agree that in this day and age that year round schooling is an option to be considered. I think there are many misconceptions about year round school and that the public would need to be educated about. Most teachers I know do not seemed to be against year round schooling and limiting the amount of time a student is out of school seems like a no brainer.
I believe that year-round school would be a good thing! Students would benefit from it in many different ways that have already been stated. Students would not forget things so easily. Families would have great flexibility to do more things throughout the year instead of just in the summer. It would be an adjustment for everyone students, parents and teachers alike but after the adjustment would be the best case scenario for everyone.
Year round education could definitely have its advantages.
Students are more likely to retain information learned and the beginning of each school year would not have to be spent on reviewing to see what information has been lost over the summer. Famililies would have more flexibility in planning opportunities and vacations that involve their children. Year round schooling would also support our more industrial and technological society. Because it is a different concept, and change can be difficult, the public would need to be well informed before possibly instituting such a change.
I agree with the majority of responses that year long education would benefit student achievement. Students would not have the "lapses" in their years that result in longer review and remediation period for teachers. I would stink for me because it would cut into my early morning tee times during part of the summer months, but hey it's not about me, right?
I worked in Year Round education in the 1970's in Prince William County, VA. As a beginning teacher it was great because I could select the length of my working contract. Options ranged from the traditional 180 days up to 240 days. It made a real difference in pay too. Even with 240 days, we still had vacations and holidays. There was a major difference in the "forgotten" information when students had three week breaks instead of three month breaks.
I agree that a year round calendar would be more beneficial to our students academically by facilitating continuous learning opportunities. One deterrent our division would face is that none of the thirteen schools are air-conditioned. Although that option was explored a few years ago, the cost was determined to be too great. I can't even imagine what it would be now. Therefore, during the hotter weather, we would be releasing early and, in effect, losing more instructional time.
I agree with year round schools for student learning, curriculum development options that Jonathan discussed, and options for teachers to work additional contract hours. I don't think that we have done a good job of letting teachers know about professioal opportunities if we went to a 12 month calendar. For almost thirty years, I have had a summer job to supplement my income. I know a lot of other teachers that do the same. It would be nice for teachers to be able to "choose" to do additional work to support student learning. This could be in the form of remediation and/or enrichment opportunities. I think parents would support this as well.
Based on the information in Chapter 15, Year Round Education has not shown itself to be of significant benefit..."Overall,there appears to be a slight, but not overwhelming advantage for YRE students in learning basic content." "In actuality there are no long-range studies to prove the superiority of traditional or YRE calendars in relation to knowledge retention or achievment." The easily documented advantages stem from increased capacity, finances, and accomodations to parental jobs. Other reported advantages are not grounded on research based statistics. Since YRE is not a new concept and has been carried in varying forms for many, many years, it would seem that if it was of great benefit, then authentic research would have been done to document its success. Therefore, the only stand I can take is one of personal preference, not whether I feel it would or would not be beneficial for students. I personally feel YRE would not be beneficial for me. I need the longest break possible to rest and re-energize. I have taught summer school a couple of summers and can say it honestly put me at a disadvantage when beginning the next school year.
I think that year round schooling would initially receive a lot of criticism, but would best meet the needs of learners. Other posters have commented on the "forget time" that summer provides to students. In my opnion,keeping students engaged and on task throughout the year would result in increased student achievement.
With that said... teachers do love summer break. I love being able to spend time with my daughters on an extended break and know that for many teachers this is seen as the one perk of teaching. If a move to year round schooling is made planners would need to pay special attention to providing lengthy breaks so that teachers would not feel that they were loosing a benefit.
I can see the benefits as everyone else has mentioned when it comes to students retaining information and not loosing some of it over the summer break. The idea of having many breaks throughout the school year would benefit students and families becasue it allows for vacations to be taken at different times and students would be given a long enough break to process their learning. It would also benefit parents who have to send their child to daycare in the summer. This may free up some financial burdens over summer breaks. I wonder how cost-effective it would be for school systems?
For me however summer is my favorite season and it's hard to imagine not being out of school (reality will set in if I become a principal). I wonder how families within my school district would react to this concept?
I totally agree that the year round school would be so much better for all stakeholders. As I look at the previous comments, I really could not add anything to the discussion. However, when I have asked why we do not use the year round school calendar, the conflict with the athletic calendar seems to be a common reason why.....go figure??? :)
I too agree with the majority of comments that are already here. I think that year round schooling would be a great benefit to students in regard to retaining information. I know that it may seem unattractive at first because students and staff feel that they would lose their summer break, but the breaks are still there they simply are shorter periods of time. I think that there are other benefits to year round schooling as well like easing parents burden of day care in the summer, providing more consistent support to those kids who are living in poverty situations where the school may be the most stable environment and source of nutrition that they have, and preparing students for their future success in a working world where most don't enjoy months of vacation at a stretch.
I agree that year round education would benefit student academic success and professional development for staff. I agree with Patricia that it would receive criticism until the masses would see the benefits. There are many families that would be all for the program . . .their children would receive free breakfast and lunch year round. Other families would be opposed due to summer traditions and invitational sports leagues already in place. Colleges and athletic programs across the nation would lose money because kids could not attend camps. The tourist industry would be reduced. Kids and families on vacation fuel the economy in lots of places. In my opinion, the economy would not let year round education happen at this point. Our county is cutting the budget left and right. Divisions would have to receive much more money from the state before this would be implemented even if family support is there. I would support year round education, but the "Big Picture" (ISLLC 6) needs to be considered.
I agree that the Summer break is far too much time away from the classroom. However, those of us who teach in older buildings understand that we need facilities which accomodate learning in the hotter months. I am totally in favor of year round education. At Pulaski Middle School, in the late Summer (August) and late Spring (June), we notice students who are less motivated because of the hot conditions. Students who are accustomed to AC at home have a difficult transition to the weather.
As more facilities are air conditioned we will be able to sustain a year round schedule and avoid this problem.
Most teachers I have spoken to agree that our students, teachers, and families would rather have year round education with breaks spread throughout the calendar. As always, money and facilities upgrades are an issue with making this change.
Many teachers also indicated that it isn't really fair to ask some students to attend school in the Summer and deal with the heat while others are in AC. I agree.
I have looked at several options for year round school and would love the opportunity to try such a schedule. I feel there would be a tough adjustment period, but after that I feel learning would be increased. Everyone needs time off (staff and students) and most year round schedules still give plenty of time off; while reducing the "summer lapses" Christy mentions.
Another point I'd like to add, we are living in a global society. We are constanly compared with other nations from an outcome (test result) basis (which is not a fair comparison - what other nation has NCLB), so we should be looking at what works for them, and be willing to accept their 'best practices'.
I absolutely believe that year around school would be beneficial for everyone. teachers would have periodic breaks, so as not to get so burned out. Children would have periodic breaks, but not so long that the previous learning would be lost. Parents would have more flexibility in vacation times as well.
I have to say that I agree with the group Ido agree thata there are many benfits to year round education. I also agree with Dr. McCracken that I could see benefits in pay as well. It would help with the lapses that students have due to breaks. Although it would be hard to give up the summer in terms of the actual education that studens get, it would be so much better for them as well as the stakeholders in the long run.
I have to say that I think year round school would benefit the students. I think it would have the biggest impact on low income students at my school. I know that some of them do not get any stimulating eduational experiences during the entire summer break. I do think it would be met by strong critisism at first over time I think it would be a winning model. One major drawback is that the school system has to have the facilities to accomplish this task. Many schools in our area are still without AC and I don't think it is very feasible to try it until they do.
What can I possibly add? :-) I strongly support year round education and frequently discuss the benefits with my fellow team teacher. Many of the benefits we discuss have been addressed in the previous comments.
One of the toughest issues that will need to be addressed if school districts are thinking about moving to year round education is the notion of 'summer break.' The argument will come from both teachers and students, but only because they are leary of change.
With the current school calendar, the majority of students and families take "summer" vacations. A year round calendar would allow families to travel during off-seasons (which would probably allow many more families to afford a vacation) and experience attractions that are at their peak in spring, winter, or fall seasons.
My cousins live in Tennessee and have had year-round schooling for about 5 years now. It seems like they are ALWAYS out of school, and as I write this on our last day of Thanksgiving Break, it is odd that I find myself counting the days until our next time off. Perhaps year round education would ease the stress levels of both teachers and students with more frequent periods of time off.
I agree with most of the posts, year round education would be a great benefit. Like with anything else though, it would not be for all of the students. The majority of students would reap the rewards of contiuous education without the long time off in the summer. What about the students that thrive with the system that we have now?
Clay Moran
I have mixed feelings on year round education. Chapter 15 eluded to no real benefits for students. I believe students as well as teachers need time to re energize and re organize for the next level. I agree with much of what has been said, but I also look at it from a student perspective, especially high school; many students have summer jobs and are taking college classes. It would be advantageous to some, detrimental to others.
As a special educator, I embrace the idea of year round education. Extended school year services are currently available for our students, but difficult to prove the need. Year round schools would allow for instruction to be more focused with less need for review each Fall.
Everyone thinks that we get 3 months of summer vacation. But when I look at the calendar, I find that we have about 2 months of vacation. Since I have a college kid plus this master's degree to work on, I usually am looking for summer teaching work to help with payments. So a year-long school may actually help with my lifestyle. Teach as much as you want, have vacation days off -sounds good!
I believe there are benefits to both the traditional schedule and year round schooling. Neither has been able to prove definitively that they are better. I know what my children do all summer; sit around playing video games and begging their friends to come over. Occasionally, they will pick up a book or venture outside. I would hate to speculate on what most of my students are doing. I feel that children need moments to just be children but I don't feel that they need "3" months straight to do this.
I think John hit on something important when he mentioned the pay issue. Think about how great it would be to have our work year be more like that of other professionals. We could get three weeks of paid vacation to use ANY time during the year (any skiers out there?), and we'd get paid for an additional 8-10 weeks of work which would add 20-25% or so to our salaries.
Many of us work during much of our winter and spring breaks just to try to catch up, and we do our long-term planning in the summer. If we're going to work then anyway, we might as well get paid for it.
Year round education would be beenficial. Students seem to have difficulty retaining knowledge and skills during long breaks. My biggest concern would be for the students who utlilze the summer "break" for experiences that they normally could not get during the regular school year, ie. internships, long-term community -service placements, and extended learning opportunities.
I do think YRE would be beneficial in most settings. Unforunately, I don't ever see this happening within Floyd Co. due to "traditions" and lack of physical amenities (a/c).
Some benefits I can think of: increased student achievement;
improved attendance (I have had plenty of students "take a week off" for family vacation during the school year); a variety of opportunities for remediation and enrichment; improved motivation and morale for teachers and students!
I taught in a year round school for 4 years and it has both positive and negative points. I loved having two 6 week breaks during the school year (in March and September, no less) but to finish a school year one week and start the new school year the next week is AWFUL!!! There was definitely less time lost, though, at the beginning and end of the year. Students weren't off long enough to forget everything they had learned and there were remediation classes offered during off-track time, which really helped catch some students up. Teachers enjoyed the 2 vacations and it helped alleviate the burn out and stress that seems to hit by Spring. It was hard, however, to do things "whole staff" as there were always some teachers on vacation except for a few days a year and someone always had to be filled in about what had happened when they were gone. Students probably benefit more from it educationally than that long 10 week break plus the lost end and beginning of the school year.
I will have to agree with those who suggested that they would like to see year-round education. I believe that small breaks throughout the school year would be better for our students rather than a long summer break where important concepts are often forgotten. Teachers have to spend a great deal of time reteaching material at the beginning of each school year. However, before they determine yes to year-round schools, I would hope that Pulaski County would have airconditioning in all buildings, especially the one I am in!!
Currently we only have to motivate the students to get back on task after summer break, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas Break, and after spring break. For me getting them back into the swing of things after these four breaks is hard enough. With year round school this would be multiplied. Also students look foreword to the holidays and summer break and begin to wane in their efforts. Would this also occur with year round school. I can not say with certainty weather I am pro or con when it comes to year round school without actually seeing it in person.
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