21 January 2013
EDUCATION: Longer school years are becoming popular throughout the U.S.
By Hannah Lerstad, Staff Writer
The push for more instructional time has won in several states. New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Connecticut and Colorado will all institute year-round calendars in certain school districts.
The new calendar shift is a three-year pilot project that will add at least 300 hours to the school year. Students will get extended holiday breaks at the expense of a shorter summer vacation.
Although American students are still within approximately the top dozen countries tested in general subjects, education reformers fear that in the future, America’s workforce will be edged out by many Asian and European countries. Proponents of extended school years feel that if America does not begin to take action to improve students’ scores, America will lose its place in the global competitive scene.
Groups proposing longer school years have multiple reasons for pushing more education besides global competition. They argue that more school equates more school lunches for disadvantaged students. Households with single parents or two working parents will not have to hire babysitters as much or put their children in summer camps.
Opponents of year-round calendars feel that there are more detractors than benefits to the plan. One argument is that the economy will suffer from the shortened summer. Seasonal businesses may lose money and possibly go out of business altogether. Additionally, budget crises for schools could make it more difficult to support children for longer periods of time. Another problem with year-round calendars is that parents are already beholden to school schedules and have to plan their vacations accordingly. Shortening the summer would take away time students have to spend with their families and relax.
Extending the school year can be done in three ways: adding extra days to the traditional 180-day calendar; dividing students into four groups and rotating them, with one group on vacation while the other three are in school; and stretching the traditional 180-day calendar by extending winter and spring breaks and shortening summer. However, schools also have the option of the less controversial (and less costly) plan of elongating school days rather than years. This plan, adopted by the Chicago School District last year, adds instructional time without cutting into vacation time.
Yet traditional school schedules are already in place in certain parts of California. San Diego switched to year-round schedules in the 1970s and has since changed schedules so that its district runs both year-round and traditional schools at the same time.