The traditional school year, with roughly three months of vacation days every summer was first implemented when America was an agricultural society. The time off was not implemented to accommodate contemporary concerns, like children needing “downtime” to decompress and “be kids,” but was born out of economic necessity. In fact, the first schools that went against the summers-off version of the academic calendar were in urban areas that did not revolve around the agricultural calendar, like Chicago and New York, as early as the mid-1800s. It was much later, however, that the idea as a whole gained momentum.
A survey of school decision-makers in 1971 found that 84 percent of respondents felt that year-round schooling would be in all U.S. schools within the next 15 years. As we know now, those respondents were wrong, but it makes sense that they would feel that way. Two districts in San Diego were the first to implement year-round academic calendars in 1971, and by 1974, there were another 13 in the state that followed suit. Even today, California and its neighbors lead the year-round trend, with four-fifths of all of these school schedules in the nation happening in Western states. Over half of them are implemented in California. In total, over 2 million U.S. students attend school on year-round schedules every year in around 3,000 schools in 46 states.
So what impact does this non-traditional school schedule have on the people it most affects – the students?
Academic strides
A long-time thorn in the side of K-12 educators has been the “summer slide,” or the theory that knowledge is lost when students get so much time off (like in the summer months) from academic pursuits. The National Summer Learning Association often cites decades of research that support the claim that students do forget or unlearn things they have learned when too much time off is given between classroom sessions. A study released in 2007 by The Ohio State University, however, found that there are no differences in learning between students who attend school year-round, and those who are on a traditional schedule.
While the overall student numbers show no significant differences in learning for better or worse, at-risk students tend to do better in year-round setups. Studies have found that disadvantaged students lose about 27 percent more of their learning gains in the summer months than their peers. By being in school the same number of days, but with shorter breaks, these students can keep their minds on a learning track that may not otherwise be fostered at home in the off-months.
Socialization
In districts that use year-round schedules, there are two models: single track and multi-track. In the latter, students are in groups that place them on different schedules and different vacation times. The main benefit of dividing students in this way is that those who need extra or remedial help can attend school on the off days since there are still teachers on campus. It is similar to the concept of summer school, but takes place throughout the year and may only require one or two weeks here and there, instead of an entire summer’s time.
Parents are split into two groups when it comes to the way students’ socialization is impacted by year-round schooling. Some say that kids seem more interested in school without the stop-and-go routine of traditional academic calendars. Others complain that students on year-round schedules, particularly multi-track ones, miss out on time with their friends and come to resent school as a result. Overall, the social growth of students is thought not to change much since they are still in session the same number of days each year and have shorter gaps in time apart from their peers.
Overall, year-round schooling seems to show a slight advantage academically to students enrolled, but the numbers of students are not high enough to get a good read on it at this point. What does seem clear, however, is that at-risk students do fare better without a long summer break, and the year-round schedule does not harm other students.
Next, I will look at the way year-round schooling impacts the teaching profession.
Do you think year-round schooling benefits or harms students?
I think year-round schooling would only benefit students by keeping them more in “school mode” the entire calendar year. It would certainly prevent the summer slide.
I think on paper, year-round schooling makes sense but in reality, it may not have as many benefits for students as we assume. There is something to be said of long summers off, where you can really delve into being a kid without the threat of school just around the bend.
Ideally, as a teacher, I think the summer hours are best served by immersing the students in projects, activities, and trips that utilize and build upon what they learned in school.
vary true
I would welcome both year-round and summers-off schedules. I can see the benefits to both. Having more time off throughout the year seems more practical, though.
I always enjoy your articles on education and the issues that affect the landscape.It seems I can always identify experiences in my own family and the community I live in with those you describe.The year-round model is not a good suggestion but we should also overlook the benefits that come to those students that do not perform well in school.
Thanks Mathew
In my opinion, summer-offs are beneficial since the students are accustomed to the everyday routine and are most likely prone to boredom. A break from normal routine rejuvenates these students and opens up their minds, sparks creativity out of class due to many interactions out of school and in the daily developments they see every day.
It certainly can rejuvenate, but I’ve noticed that parents end up spending thousands of dollars sending their kids to summer camps all summer long to keep up their basic skills. Although there are some good camps, the ones my kids have taught at are more drill and kill that authentic learning experiences.
I always figured year-round education would prevent the “summer slide,” and I’d seen studies supporting that theory. Limited English Speakers would be helped the most–especially if they’re the first in their family to learn English. Furthermore, it might help against teacher burnout!