top of page
WHY CHANGE?
Using the previously discussed rearrangement method, year-round school calendars can aid in improving lives in high-poverty areas academically, physically, and financially.
The Economist, a weekly London-based and globally renowned newspaper, establishes that there is an achievement gap between wealthy and poor high-school students (“Why School” 1). It explains that a 2007 study done in Baltimore found that variations in the learning loss of students over long summer vacations may account for two-thirds of this large gap (“Why School” 1).
The fact that achievement can relate to socioeconomic status raises a sense of urgency, suggesting that financially struggling students may be hit harder with the effects of long summer breaks and that their public-school systems need a change. With the implementation of year-round learning, schools could contribute to narrowing this apparent gap between rich and poor students.
Graph by California Department of Education, displaying how students of lower income are more likely than middle-class students to succumb to academic achievement loss brought by long summer vacations
This idea has been previously tested according to UCLA Research Professor Patricia Gándara and Judy Fish, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in California’s Palmdale School District.
They conducted a study on Lark, a small rural school with students at financial and academic risk that transitioned from a traditional calendar to year-round (Gándara and Fish 71). Gándara and Fish observed significant gains in both reading and math across the entire student body following the schedule change, in comparison to traditional schools from one year to the next (76-77).
The study proves that year-round schooling is indeed able to enhance academic achievement of low-income students in terms of test scores, in comparison to schools with traditional academic calendars; this schedule change can actually make a difference. While Lark struggled financially and academically, it took a risk in completely reorganizing.
The decision eventually paid off because students proved to have benefitted from the transition to year-round schooling. This serves as a genuine example of year-round schooling’s success and evidence as to why other American schools should consider the transition.
Chart by Alison Tovar et al., presenting results of their study on the effects of care situation on child activity during the summer. They have concluded that children attending camps tend to be the most active throughout summer months, while children at home or in other care remain more sedentary.
Not only can year-round calendars benefit academics, but they have potential to boost health and finances as well. Alison Tovar, Assistant Professor in the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, who has received her Ph.D. from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, has conducted studies on United States public school children.
Her findings demonstrate that throughout the traditional school year these children show body mass index scores, fitness levels, and cardiovascular health far superior than those shown during the long summer months (Tovar et al. 1-7). Additionally, she exhibits studies showing that lower income populations are at higher risk of physical inactivity during summers, due to the common lack of funds for camps and vacations, along with neighborhood safety (Tovar et al. 1-8).
Tovar’s studies suggest that students can benefit nutritionally and physically from continuing school routines over the summer season rather than interrupting healthy habits with less active summertime endeavors. The fact that health progress made throughout the school year can be halted and harmed by summer vacation factors supports the idea that young students can benefit from the increased activity involved with school being extended into the summer.
Students unable to attend camps while not in school tend to display diminished physical activity and often become more drawn to long-term sedentary activities such as watching television. As impoverished students are less likely to attend summer camps due to financial reasons, it is highly likely that these children face the most intense risks regarding physical activity and nutrition over long summer breaks. These students are more likely to benefit physically and nutritionally from attending school throughout the year, and a year-long academic calendar may be a solution for such an issue.
Mary Therese O’Sullivan proposes a further contribution by year-round schooling, arguing that it “serve[s] the economic needs of many families…[enabling] parents to work throughout the summer without having to pay for child-care services…[without] societal pressures to find jobs that enable optimal vacation time or favorable summer hours,” and additionally allowing “parents to pursue more time-demanding careers…that require summer hours” (405).
With a year-round academic calendar, impoverished guardians will have occupational opportunities that will be less disrupted by having to coordinate with long summer vacations for their children. As a result, they may be more able to achieve in their career paths and would subsequently obtain more overall success and pay to provide for their families.
bottom of page