Year Round School Makes Sense
English 1301
March 2, 2013
Professor Palmer
Year Round School Makes Sense “Schools out!” The majority of schools in America stick to the traditional school year, attending class from early fall through the beginning of summer. End of the school year means the start of summer vacation for most students; over the years, summertime evolved into its own culture with specialized camps, family vacations, and little league games. While most would agree that children and even families love summer vacation, many are aware of its downfalls. One downfall is the difficulty students have retaining knowledge and information from the previous year. Typically, teachers spend the first six weeks of the new school year reviewing material from the last instead of moving on to the new material. The department of education has indicated the need for change. According to the Education Secretary Arne Duncan, President Barak Obama has called for a longer school year to help American students compete with students around the globe (Dessoff, 36). The future of America is in the hands of today’s youth. Students that attend year round schools are at an advantage over students that attend traditional schools in the area of knowledge retention and access to quality teaching staff. The traditional school schedule is out-dated. Summer vacation finds its roots in farm life. In years past, children would attend school in the months that parents could spare their help. When school let out for the summer, many students would trade in their formal education for one more practical, yet just as important. The schedule made sense then, but fast-forward to today’s society. Less families farm and the ones that do don’t rely as heavily on manpower, especially their children. Those who oppose year round schooling argue that summer camps and family vacations are an important part of growing up and would be missed if summer vacation were done away with (“Leave Those Kids Alone: The Case For Long Summer
March 2, 2013
Professor Palmer
Year Round School Makes Sense “Schools out!” The majority of schools in America stick to the traditional school year, attending class from early fall through the beginning of summer. End of the school year means the start of summer vacation for most students; over the years, summertime evolved into its own culture with specialized camps, family vacations, and little league games. While most would agree that children and even families love summer vacation, many are aware of its downfalls. One downfall is the difficulty students have retaining knowledge and information from the previous year. Typically, teachers spend the first six weeks of the new school year reviewing material from the last instead of moving on to the new material. The department of education has indicated the need for change. According to the Education Secretary Arne Duncan, President Barak Obama has called for a longer school year to help American students compete with students around the globe (Dessoff, 36). The future of America is in the hands of today’s youth. Students that attend year round schools are at an advantage over students that attend traditional schools in the area of knowledge retention and access to quality teaching staff. The traditional school schedule is out-dated. Summer vacation finds its roots in farm life. In years past, children would attend school in the months that parents could spare their help. When school let out for the summer, many students would trade in their formal education for one more practical, yet just as important. The schedule made sense then, but fast-forward to today’s society. Less families farm and the ones that do don’t rely as heavily on manpower, especially their children. Those who oppose year round schooling argue that summer camps and family vacations are an important part of growing up and would be missed if summer vacation were done away with (“Leave Those Kids Alone: The Case For Long Summer
Cited: Ballingall, Alex. "School 's Not Out For Summer." Maclean 's 125.18 (2012): 28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Dessoff, Alan. "Is Year-Round Schooling On Track?." District Administration 47.7 (2011): 34-45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Huebner, Tracy A. "Year-Round Schooling." Educational Leadership 67.7 (2010): 83-84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. "Leave Those Kids Alone: The Case For Long Summer Vacations." Maclean 's 123.32 (2010): 4-5. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. Matthew R. Watkins, et al. "The Effect Of Year-Round Schooling On Administrators." Education 119.3 (1999): 465. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. St. Gerard, Vanessa. "Year-Round Schools Look Better All The Time." Education Digest 72.8 (2007): 56-58. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.