Duke It Out: Longer School Years?

October 2, 2009 Posted in Reality

Class all year? FML.

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like what is cheating!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

By Lauren H

There’s been some debate recently about increasing the number of days public school kids have to spend in class, and while you may be thinking “man, I’m glad I’m not in high school anymore,” think again. Colleges, especially public ones, generally follow the patterns set up by lower levels of schooling, which means that if they cut back on summer, you could kiss it goodbye too.

I’ll give you a moment to go find a paper bag to breathe into.

Proponents of adding school days to the calendar – including President Obama and the Education Secretary – note that American kids go to school fewer days than other countries, the same countries that tend to do better in math and science than we do. And, they claim, adding days has proven effective in some places in the U.S. Loathe though I am to say it, they do have a point. Test scores do rise in schools that have longer school days and years.

They also point out that summer can really hold kids back academically, with many of them forgetting things or taking extra time at the start of the year to get back to the level they were at before the vacation (exhibit A: my Calculus grade last fall). Kids from poorer families get hit especially hard because their parents don’t have the opportunities to keep them enriched through things like museum trips or new books, so they fall behind even further than the rest. And it is true that our system is based on a time when most families were farmers and needed the kids around to help with the planting in summer – a system that most of us just don’t live under now – so summer isn’t really needed, it’s just something we’re used to.

Still, there are some good reasons to avoid adding on to school time. For one thing, even though Americans go to school fewer days than some other countries, we tend to be in school more hours, even than the countries that outscore us! (Could that mean there is another reason for our falling scores? I think so.) Also, in a time when we constantly hear about how kids are growing up too fast, that they need to play outside more and are under too much pressure, giving them what is essentially a 9 to 5 job probably isn’t going to lighten the load any.

And, as we’re still in the middle of some serious economic times, it’s definitely worth noting that keeping schools open longer not only adds to the school’s costs, but it also takes money away from vacation based industries that rely on the summer trade, like camps and resorts. Let’s face it, that camping trip doesn’t sounds as good when you have to struggle through Chem lab with a hangover and sunburn on Monday.

And let’s not forget: summer is awesome. Isn’t that enough to keep it around?

So whether it’s just for solidarity with the little kid you used to be or the ramifications it might have on your class schedule, what would you pick? Would you be willing to give up a few days of free time to finally understand what ax+bx-y=r means (Nothing! They’re LETTERS!)? Or would you rather keep your break and forget about being top on the international education pile?

Would this schedule change even make a difference? Duke it out, CollegeCandies, duke it out.

4238412 CommentsDuke+It+Out%3A+Longer+School+Years%3F2009-10-02+13%3A00%3A56Lauren+H+-+The+New+School on "Duke It Out: Longer School Years?"

Lauren - University says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 20096:07 am

As much as I love college, I'm not ready to actually take classes year round. And I think kids really need the summer camp experience to grow up and figure themselves out. There is more to becoming a successful adult than academics.

A says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 20096:09 am

I think the problem actually has to do with the rigor of the curriculum.

Jessica says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 20096:23 am

i agree with obama, just because i've been thinking the same thing for awhile now. america's been dumbed down, because everything is thought out for us and we don't like it otherwise. there's nothing wrong with a longer school year, but they'll probably counteract the costs by doing shorter school days or something like that. besides, by the end of the summer, most kids are so bored that they can't wait to go back to school; they're just not looking forward to homework.

Casey says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 20099:38 am

Does anyone remember when school used to start at the beginning of fall and end at the beginning of summer? Like September to June? (Which is why school is always portrayed starting in the fall, leaves all over the ground, apples for the teachers, etc). I miss that. I remember when they changed it and school just hasn't been the same for me, because it doesn't fit with the image I always had of it when I was little. But I guess that's beside the point.

Honestly I don't think it will make that much of a difference. I do agree with Jessica though about kids getting bored toward the end of summer, so shorten the first half of summer and let them go back at the same time.

A lot of countries do "year-round" school. Where they go to school continuously year after year after year, but they actually get more vacation time then we do. They have I think it's like 6 weeks off, two or three times a year. And I remember when I was younger the U.S. was talking about doing that, and I guess decided against it.

I agree summer is important for kids, I had a lot of awesome memories from summer, and like Lauren said, summer camp is important. But all of those things can still be done in a shorter summer. In fact, if the major concern is kids not getting out enough, the length of the school year is no comparison for television. Which, since it went mainstream, has contributed greatly to the lack of children getting out. If that's the biggest issue, maybe schools should be teaching children the importance of being productive, lengthen the school year and keep the same length school days and instead of JUST learning academics, teach the kids other useful things, take them on nature hunts and hiking trips (if only just around their school) plant gardens, and tree's, and get them out of the classroom and bring fun back to education.

There are so many issues with our education system that need to be focused on more than the length of the school year. I think Obama has the right idea's on what needs "change" in this country, but he's just not hitting the mark with his ideas.

Zoey says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 200910:22 am

Here in Canada. School kids start at the beginning of September and go to the end of June and everyone seems to be happy. And for universities, the semesters usually go September-December, January-April. Which seems to make the university students even happier. Lots of kids I go to school with will actually take a summer course that runs once a week for the month of May, or one that runs twice a week through July and August just because we find our breaks way too long.

Another thing to consider, I know someone who did his undergraduate at a Canadian university and decided to get his masters at an American graduate school. He's found that a lot of the courses he's required to take at this graduate level are on the same level of some of his second year courses he took in Canada. Just something to consider.

Eireann says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 200910:55 am

I too am in Canada, and currently in my first year. After twelve years of public school I honestly find it difficult to adjust to the shortened school year for university. September is done and that means I'm a third of the way through my first semester (not including finals). Granted, I do get two and a half weeks for Christmas vacation, and my summer will be three months long, but I would rather have a little extra time to learn all this information they're throwing at me.

Lauren - University says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 200911:37 am

I think that having kids learn in the summer is a gerat idea – retention is a huge problem – but I think this idea is just a bandaid fix for a much larger problem. Our schools are failing – maybe we should consider paying more to get better teachers into low income districts or starting EARLIER than kindergarden to prepare students for learning. The real problem here is not that American students don't have enough time to learn, it is that many come from homes that do not value education and reinforce the lessons at home. This is what needs to be addressed. Adding on more school days isn't going to make kids who don't want to learn, learn.

Eleanor says:
Fri, 2nd Oct 200912:05 pm

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact that a summer allows people to work a full-time job. I pay for my expenses in college, and for many college and high school students like me, summer is ESSENTIAL for earning enough money to tide me over until next summer. It's the modern equivalent of "helping with the harvest". Make no mistake, I also work part-time when I'm in school – but when I have to balance that and class, no way can I make as much money.

Brad Wellen says:
Tue, 6th Oct 20095:22 am

The prospect of having class all year is almost as ridiculous as the following article… http://www.precioustimeny.com/blog/?p=5066

Theresa says:
Wed, 7th Oct 20098:18 pm

I'm a grade 4 teacher in CA (also attending grad school). I too believe that it's the rigor of the curriculum as previously said. We are teaching to breadth with not enough depth. But, that is one problem among many other things that makes the American school system flawed. *sigh*

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Sun, 15th May 201112:47 am

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