Year Round Schools Essay

Year Round Schools: The Future Education System
The three month summer vacation between school years that students have become so fond of, was originally created to allow students to help with the harvesting of that year’s crops. However, the harvest season no longer interferes with education as the massive increase of urbanization and various technological advances have eased the workload of farming families. As a result, there is now a major need to transition from a traditional school setup to a more effective system of education. As of now, more than 90% of America’s states have implemented at least one year round school system (Nat'l Ass'n, “Year-Round Schooling, Calendar Reform Statistics: Schools, Districts”). Year round schools, although they may decrease some the benefits that come with summer break,
For instance, the unique scheduling allows teachers to avoid being overworked, while also allowing families to pick the program that works best for them. Also, shorter and more spread out breaks result in improved retention of information, which ultimately leads to a broader range of opportunity in the modern world. Finally, with the availability of different programs comes the ability to educate more students in the same area.
One of the biggest issues that comes with year round school programs is the possibility of decreased quality family time, as many people use the long summer break to take extended vacations. However, most of the breaks provided by the yearlong calendar allow for at least two weeks of down time. In fact, parents with year round students find that they “appreciate the flexibility provided by year-round schooling, as it can be easier (and cheaper) to plan vacations during off-peak times.”