Taking a Break from Summer

Before you read this paper, think of how you would define summer. Some may view it as the hottest season with the best weather. Others may see it as a season wedged between spring and autumn. For many students, it is seen as a time where they don't have to go to school. That is not the case for all students, though. 3,000 schools in the United States have adopted the schedule of having school year-round. Representing only three percent of all public schools, this amount is not enough. If education means anything to the United State, we should regulate all schools to run year-round classes.

The logic of why we still have such a long summer break is nonexistent. During the Civil War Era, there were two school schedules that could be followed, both of which were 48 weeks long. Summer vacation was made was so children could help their families on the farms. This is not the case for the majority of students today, so there is no purpose for having a long summer. Then, in the 1840's, educational reformer Horace Mann provided a theory that if students were in school too long, this would lead to disorders and insanity in the students. In 1906, reports confirmed that a long summer break affects learning and that this break was setting us back.

First off, having school year-round will positively impact students mentally. In one example, Timber Lane Elementary had 41% of their students not speaking English. When they switched to the year-round program, school test scores have gone up and student discipline has decreased. This has been seen across the nation. In two major tests performed in Texas and California, Texas observed a small change in scores. The Texas school recently switched back to a nine month schedule because of disapproving parents who would "rather stick to tradition." What happened to the California schools that were tested? They are still on the year-round system and have seen an increase in test scores since 1976 (USA Today 1).

This will also benefit the teachers. When students attend school during the whole year, they will have to attend less than four days per week. With three days to plan lessons, teachers will face less deadlines and rush to teach information. Assigning homework over a three day period will allow students more time and effort to be put into their studies.

There can be subtle changes that don't relate to education, too. Having P.E. classes year-round will ensure students exercise all year. Having students in the schools will also keep them out of trouble, as many find themselves home alone with boredom surrounding them. Students will recycle materials from previous years and keep notes, as school years will change within a month. This will also save their parents money, as equipment like backpacks, pencils, notebooks, and other essentials are consistently purchased when there is no need for them.

So what is so bad about having the summer off? Studies have been done to study what happens to students over a long range of time off. Performed by Oxford Learning, they came up alarming statistics. Students have statistically lower test scores when given the same test at the beginning of the summer and the end of the summer. This study also shows that schools must spend four to six reviewing materials just to get students to the knowledge levels they had when school ended. When polled, 56% of students said they wished they could undergo a program that allows them to sustain their knowledge over the summer.

So why would someone oppose this? Parents that wanted to abort the program in Texas said this was against tradition. In reality, from the 1700's until the 1840's, school was year-round. Parents and students would argue that summertime is meant for relaxing. In all reality, relaxing over the summer puts more unnecessary stress during the school year. In regards to math, students lose 2.6 months of the nine month course during the summertime. While relaxing is nice, it is not what is best for the students. Students also want this time for part-time jobs. With the need to go to school less than four times per week, students can easily balance school and work.

On average, students will go to school 21 hours per week. Assuming these students get nine hours of sleep per night, this leaves them 84 hours of free time, homework, and work. Finally, families can argue that the summer is the best time for vacation. Assuming that students go to school for four days a week, they will attend 208 days of school. By subtracting holidays that are mandatory, this will leave students at around 196 days. In order to eliminate the rest of the days, two two-week periods can be made up. During these times, there can be up to seventeen days off in a row. There is another system in which the student has multiple breaks that are fifteen days long.

Whether you are looking out for the students or the teachers, switching to a year-round schedule makes sense all around. It will save everyone time, money and effort. If we say education is so important, why wouldn't we want to maximize the output? The best way students will learn and retain materials studied will be if there is no long break for them to forget all the information.

Works Cited

1. Alex Altman. "A Brief History Of: Summer Vacation." Time 30 Jun 2008: 18. Research Library. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008

2. Charles Fleming. "Give me a break; Many parents gripe about a year-round school schedule, but it has its advantages." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, Calif.] 25 Nov. 2007, M.5. Los Angeles Times. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008

3. "Taking the 'Break' Out of Summer; With Pressure On to Succeed, Va. Schools Consider Move to Year-Round Schedule: [FINAL Edition]." The Washington Post [Washington, D.C.] 6 Jun 2002, B.03. ProQuest National Newspapers Core. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008

4. "Debate: Year-round school--Should summer vacation be stopped?" Scholastic Action 6 May 2002: 4. Research Library. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008

5. "Debate: Year-round school." Scholastic Scope. 7 May 2001: 5. Research Library. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008

6. "Year-round schools can stimulate learning." USA Today 1 Aug. 2000: 7. Research Library. ProQuest. EWU Libraries, Cheney, WA. 19 Nov. 2008