Should we Extend the School Year?

Extending the School Year

For most of you school has just ended for the year and summer vacations are about to begin. For others, the end of the school year is only days away (assuming you are not making up “snow days” from this past brutal winter). But after all of the euphoria about “school’s out for summer,” we may need to pause and reflect whether or not we should be doing this. The 180 day school year has become sacrosanct for decades and as a result many of our students are falling behind their peers in other highly industrialized nations. Countries like China, the UK, and India all have longer school years, running from 200-220 days. Their students seem to retain more knowledge and perform better in key academic subjects.

Here in the US we have been content with a 13 week summer vacation which results in a “brain drain” or learning loss of knowledge obtained during the school year. Disadvantaged students suffer more as they need more reinforcement. Add to that the fact that student diets change as there is no school lunch (or breakfast) program for them to participate in.

The founders of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power) Academy charter school program, Michael Feinberg and Dave Levin, have continually demonstrated that a longer school day and school year lead to positive results in student achievement. For information about the KIPP Academy program go to www.KIPP.org.

As far back as the 1980’s with publication of the “Nation at Risk” report it was noted that American students were not able to compete with many of their international peers who spend more time in school.

In September, 2010 President Obama, alarmed about America’s declining school standards, began advocating for extending the school year by one month. As with any recommendation that would create a paradigm shift in current policy, there has been a great deal of opposition. Many teens rely on summer jobs to pay for college tuition, clothing, or to contribute to family income. In the same vein, merchants in summer resort areas, like the New Jersey seashore and summer camps rely on this pool of students to fill seasonal positions. Teachers complain that they need time to recharge their batteries after an exhausting school year. Many use the time for professional development and take graduate courses that will lead to advanced degrees. Many localities however, are already strapped for cash and the cost of extending the school year could be prohibitive. The school district of Los Angeles has already begun to SHORTEN the school year by a few days in an effort to save money.

Ultimately, things will have to change. In order to do this successfully we need to bring all of the players to the table, local school boards, teachers unions, parent organizations, business leaders and government officials. We must bring education to center stage in the national dialogue.  Our future leaders and thinkers are out there now on a ball field or in fast food restaurant making sandwiches. That will not bring this country back to its education predominance.  We need to take a long hard look at the QUALITY of education and how effective class time is used in addition to the number of days schools are in session. (QUANTITY)