Year-round Schooling (aganist)

Abstract

Year-round schooling is often proposed as an alternative to the two-semester academic system punctuated by the summer break but the disadvantages of the year-round schedule far out weigh any benefits . In this , I will take a two-prong approach to argue against year-round schooling . First of all , I will look at the two common considerations given in support of year-round schooling and expose where each fails Secondly , I will discuss the many disadvantages that year-round schooling creates for the school , including teachers and staff , and for students and families . It will

become obvious that the disadvantages of year-round schooling far exceed the benefits

The year-round school schedule does not increase the number of days students spend in school therefore , it is not an extended school term (Warrick-Harris , 1995 . Each school or school system may adopt its own year-round schedule . The most common year-round schooling schedule however , is the 45-15 system . In this system , students attend classes for nine weeks (45 school days ) at a time . Each nine-week block is followed by a three-week (15 school days ) break (Merino , 1983 . Four of these nine-week blocks would give 180 school days , the same number of days of the standard two-semester schedule . So , if year-round schooling does not increase the number of school days , then what are its advantages

Proponents of year-round schooling advocate it as the solution to two problems : over-crowding and poor academic performance (Agron , 1993 . The verdict is still out on whether year-round schooling improves academic performance . While year-round schooling has been shown to provide minimum benefits to academically at-risk students and students with deficient language skills (Wildman et al , 1999 , many more studies show no significant correlation between year-round education and increase academic performance (Naylor , 1995 . Year-round schooling cannot therefore , be used as a sustainable argument for improving the academic performance of a failing school or school system . In other words , if increasing academic performance is the objective , then year-round education is a very questionable solution . Now that I have eliminated one argument in favor of year-round schooling , let me take a look at the second argument

I will use the 45-15 system to demonstrate how it accommodates over-crowding . Take a hypothetical school that was designed to accommodate 1000 students but has a student population of 1500 . This is considered severe over-crowding . The 1500 students are divided in four groups , each consisting of 25 (325 ) of the The school year begins with 25 of the students . After the first three weeks , a second group of 25 joins the school population . There are now 650 students in a school that can accommodate 1000 students . Three weeks later , a third group of 25 joins the school population . At this time the school is accommodating 975 students or 75 of the student population . At the end of the third three-week period , two things happen : 45 school-days have lapsed and the first group of students begins its three-week break and the fourth group of 25 joins the student body . The one group...