Year Round School Pros/Cons By: Zach Perry

Year Round Schools Importance – there is a Major Controversy on if schools should be on a year long calendar or a traditional calendar Studies show that it’s not important how long the day or year and academic achievement is. What they did find important is how the time in the classroom is spent.

Controversy Kids losing their summers Is it really a good thing? Education experts are estimating that the ranks of summer less kids will rise to 5 million, or 10 percent of public schoolchildren.

PRO Shorter Summers allowing kids to not lose the information they gained over break Eliminate Summer School, because there is more time to focus on kids during school Easier to make vacation plans Students with lower test scores increase academic skills with more instructional time

CON School maintenance costs, including day-to-day upkeep and utilities, can increase up to 10 percent if schools are open for longer Teens who need to work to help support themselves or make money for college may have difficulty holding or finding a job Budgets and staffing issues simply may not allow for extended school programs After school activities, such as sports or the arts may suffer or get lost in the shuffle (or budget) if school days are longer

Discussion How would you feel if your child was going to a traditional calendar school and that school decided to go to a YRE school and the cost went up 10%? If your school was a YRE school would you like that or would you like your child or children to be at a traditional calendar school?

References Dennis, F. (2012). Year-round education: Is summer vacation over... forever? The Week. Retrieved from: http://theweek.com/article/index/208721/year-round-education-is-summer-vacation-over-forever Silva, E. (2007). On the clock: Rethinking the way schools use time. Washington, D.C.: Education Sector. Retrieved from: http://childparenting.about.com/od/schoollearning/a/year-round-school-pros-cons.htm Silvernail, D. & Bickford, R. (2009). Extended School Year Fast Facts. University of Southern Maine: Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation. Retrieved from: http://childparenting.about.com/od/schoollearning/a/year-round-school-pros-cons.htm