Taking sides with year-round school

Year- round school Written by Kayleigh Brewer, Morgan Matchuny, Sidney Martin, Kiley Atchley

Editorial: Year-round schedule will benefit students and school corporations

The number of year-round schools has quadrupled over the last 10 years. The test scores of these schools have increased dramatically due to the evenly spaced breaks and constant learning. Our school would run much more efficiently on a year-round schooling system and it would cut extra costs such as summer school.

Year-round schooling systems run on 180 days just like we do, but instead of having a long summer vacation, the administration splits up the days, giving us smaller breaks, but more frequently. Students can forget a lot over summer vacation and this will allow them to still take time off of school, but keep up with their learning. There will be no need for summer school because students will be coming to school during part of their summers.

Going to school in the summer also means that the school building will need to be running and air conditioned. To save money, the school day could be lengthened another 30 minutes, adding an extra four minutes to every class period. This would decrease the number of days we go to school in the summer, which means there would be fewer days to air condition the school.

Schools in Japan operate on a year-round schooling schedule and the students test scores there are significantly better than ours in the United States. Many other countries around the world use this schedule and are ahead of Americans in education as well. If we were to switch to year-round school, students would learn much more and will bring this knowledge into the work force. This will allow them to get into better colleges and get better jobs.

In the 2004-2005 school year, 1,439 public schools in California were using year-round school schedules. 1,250,00 students started year-round schooling in that school year.

While many students say that they hate the idea of year-round schooling, they know little about how it works. They judge it before they understand it. They believe they will be attending school all year round, when in reality they will attend school the same number of days.

Additionally, year-round schooling reduces stress. Students get stressed out by having to go to school so many days in a row and only getting a couple of breaks that last for a long time. With the year-round schooling schedule, they have a two-week break after every nine weeks in school. These frequent, short breaks help to reduce stress by giving them a little time off.  These breaks also allow families to spend more time together.  Instead of just having the weekends and summers to do fun things together, they get a vacation every nine weeks to do something enjoyable.

Year-round schooling will benefit students, teachers, and parents.  This system is used by many countries around the world and it has helped increase many of their test scores.  Students will learn more and will not forget things over long summer breaks.  Families will become closer due to more time off to spend together.  Most schools show improvement after starting on the year-round schooling system, and students will begin to enjoy it once they realize they get the same number of days off.   Year-round schooling helps many students retain knowledge because of the shorter more frequent breaks.

Editorial written by: Ashley Vance, Allison Walker, Saige Farese, and Mackenzie Power.

Editorial cartoon by Saige Farese and Mackenzie Power.

Editorial: Students would support year-round school if they understood it

Usually when a student hears the words ‘year-round school,’ it strikes terror into their hearts. Students hold onto their precious summer break with a tenacious grip.

However, what most students don’t understand is that year-round schooling is actually a good idea. With year-round schooling we still have a summer break, but we also have other ‘mini-breaks.’ We still go to school for a total of 180 days, but those days are broken up into smaller bits and pieces.   If more students understood this concept of education, then more students would support it.

The basic plan for year-round school is that students will go to school 45 school days and then have 15 school days off.

When most students are asked about year-round school, they say they oppose it because there is only a ‘two- week summer.’ However, this is actually incorrect. On the traditional year-round school plan, the summer is six weeks long, which is much longer than two weeks. On the traditional plan, spring break and fall break would be extended to three weeks. Does that not sound better than the plan we are on now?

Students always complain about the length of the school and the burn-outs. Imagine this: if a runner was in a marathon, would the runner rather have more water breaks so that he is at his top performance? Or would he rather take one long water break, but then not be able to get back into his rhythm?

Another important argument for year-round school is the retention rates of the students. Countless students complain each year about how they cannot remember anything after the long summer break. However, year-round schooling eliminates this problem because the summer break is shorter, but not so short that students cannot relax.

The greatest argument against year-round school is the shortening of the summer break. Yes, the summer break has been cut in half. Yes, many students go to school and only think about summer break. What students need to remember, though, is that summer break is not non-existent, it is just shorter. Many students complain about how after the first month of summer they are bored. With year-round school, that issue is no longer a problem.

With a shorter summer vacation is the absence of summer school. This seemingly large problem has a rather simple solution. Just make the amount of time students go to summer school per day longer. Instead of going to summer school for four hours a day, go for six. This takes care of the problem.

Year-round schooling fits students’ desires and educational needs more than the traditional schedule. Contrary to popular belief, year-round school provides a six-week summer, not a two-week vacation. Year-round schooling does not increase the number of days in the school year. Instead, year-round schooling takes that long, sometimes boring summer break and spreads it out across the year.

More breaks are better than fewer breaks. And, you know what they say — all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy.

Editorial written by Jacob Bales and Everette Barr.

Editorial cartoon by Everette Barr.

Editorial: Year-round school should be considered by NA-FC schools

 

Most of the time, when the words “school” and “July” are used together for any reason, the first reaction of many students is to cringe and cover their ears. The thought of year-round school often invoke terror in the hearts of children everywhere.

That is why it may frighten readers to know that the New Albany-Floyd County is considering a modified year-round school schedule for the 2011-2012 school year. We believe that this is definitely a good thing.

Before you tear the paper to shreds and crucify the staff, there are a few things you should know.  Going to a year-round schedule does not mean more schools days. There will still only be the required 180 days that we’re ultimately forced to attend no matter what.  Students would have a two-month break over the summer. Although we won’t get that extra half a month, there will be a two week break every quarter, not including what is already given for holidays.  The only other significant change would be starting the year on Aug. 1 and ending on May 30.  This is with make-up days conveniently already worked in.

This would be a definite move in the right direction for the school corporation. Shorter breaks would prevent the loss of learned material that often comes with the extended period of absence.  It has also been said that the continuity of instruction has helped increase student learning, thus raising standardized test scores.  The regular breaks have been proven to reduce stress levels among students as well.

Critics often say that year-round schools are less traditional and the transition can be difficult or demoralizing for students. However, research done by  the New York Times says that with more time off throughout the year, students are able to take more vacations and are subsequently happier on a year-round school schedule.  Transitions would be slightly difficult at first because of scheduling of activities, but once they have been set in place it isn’t likely that many other problems will arise.

Opponents of year-round schooling also say that it poses a danger to youth programs such as summer camps and would make student summer employment virtually impossible. However, because the New Albany-Floyd County school corporation is looking into a modified schedule, students would still have a long enough absence to make these a viable possibility.

When we surveyed a select group of students, 70 percent said the school corporation should switch to a year-round schedule. “I thinks it’s good idea because students would feel more well rested during the school year,” said senior Jake St. Germain.

“There are plenty of schools that are looking into year-round education,” said sophomore Jared Willis. “I can see a lot of ways it could potentially benefit our school corporation.”

Although we agree that switching to a year-round school  would be drastic, the modified schedule that is in consideration might be exactly what our school needs.

Editorial written by  Caleb Kemp, Beth Brunmeier, Shelby Sneed and Katlyn Bartel.

Editorial cartoon by Shelby Sneed and Katlyn Bartel.