Is Year Round Schooling Good? You Bet

The fact that some school districts are considering altering the current school calendar to a year-round institution with three one-month breaks throughout the year has brought the national debate over the pros and cons of such plans to communities across the nation. While many see the summer vacation as vital, I believe that our school should emulate the new school calendar that many countries around the world have instituted. Overall, the plan for a year-round school year with shorter vacations would dramatically increase students' retention of information, lower the school's maintenance costs, and benefit the students involved in school-related activities.

To begin, the year-round school calendar would significantly increase the students' ability to recollect the information and skills that were taught in previous years. Almost all students experience some type of learning loss during the summer vacation, resulting in reviews of previously-taught material that, according to tenable research, take about four weeks to complete. However, by shortening the vacation intervals, the students would retain more of the information, elevating academic performance level. Thus, the time spent on reviews could be used to strengthen the students' knowledge of the new material rather than the old one.

Moreover, the year-round school's shorter vacation intervals would decrease the maintenance costs involved in running a school with a regular summer vacation, a period of almost total abandonment. Most of the repairs and construction are hurried as the new school year approaches. However, shorter vacations during the year would allow the district to renovate the school gradually and consistently throughout the year, thus eliminating the staff's summer rush to quickly return from their vacation and transform the building into a suitable environment.

In addition, the new calendar would benefit the students who are involved in school-related programs and activities. The year-round system would make the various sports teams and interest clubs available almost all year long, with shorter breaks for vacation. These shorter breaks would benefit both the students with the insatiable appetite for the activities and the parents who constantly belabor to find a useful occupation for their child during the summer vacation, such as summer camps and summer school classes.

The year-round system would only positively affect the students' preservation of information, the school's maintenance costs, and the students involved in school-related activities. The change, seen through the students and the improved image and performance of the school, would positively reflect upon the community's health, image, and future. A proper educational system with a proper education yields praiseworthy community leaders and should not be eschewed.