Summer: 15 Days or 2 1/2
Months?
The final bell rings. It’s the last day of school, and summer has finally
come! Students don’t have to think about school for at least another 2 1/2 months. That is the
way it should always be. Schools should continue using the traditional calendar and not a year-round
schedule. There are numerous downsides to year-round schooling. It has no positive effects on
education, it adds to costs, and it disrupts the long-awaited summer vacation.
Contrary to the
well-accepted belief, year-round schooling has no constructive impact on education. Most year-round
schedules use the 45-15 method: 45 days of school followed by 15 days off. Because of this, there are
many first and last days of school. All those transitions disrupt the learning process. Also, there
is no evidence of higher test scores. Due to that, many schools that change to year-round schedules
end up switching back. For example, since 1980, 95 percent of schools that tried the year-round
schedule changed back to a traditional calendar. It is obvious that changing to year-round schooling
does not help students; therefore, why is the change necessary?
Like any other facility,
keeping a school open requires a great deal of money. When a school changes to a year-round schedule,
the costs skyrocket. Keeping school open in the middle of summer requires air conditioning, and that
adds significantly to the school’s expenses. The usual utility bills grow because of the
additional open-school time. Finally, teachers must be paid for all the weeks they are working. With
all these factors, the cost of keeping schools open becomes immensely high. For example, a high
school in Arizona had a cost increase of $157,000 when they switched to year-round schooling. Some
schools may not be able to handle such increases, and other schools that can handle these expenses
could be doing better things with the money. Is year-round school really where the money should
go?
An important part of a child’s life is summertime. With year-round schedules,
students would hardly have any time to relax. During the 15-day breaks, they would be thinking about
their quick return to school. It would also be difficult to coordinate family vacations with
parents’ work schedules. Similarly, children would not be able to go to most summer camps. One
expert, Dr. Peter Scales, says, “The biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people
discover and explore their talents, interests, and values. Most schools don’t satisfy all these
needs. Kids who have these kinds of [camp] experiences end up being healthier and have
fewer problems.” Obviously, the summer is crucial to a child’s learning and development.
Why should this invaluable part of a young person’s life be taken away?
It is evident
that year-round schooling is not the best option for the school calendar. There is absolutely nothing
wrong with the traditional school year. Why change something that works so well? The final bell
rings. Let’s make sure this bell means that the “real” summer vacation has
come.