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Cons of All Year Schooling
For many years, students and educators have looked forward to the summer vacation. Parents know how to schedule their work so that they can plan for the holidays. The vacation is a time for families to share together and bond with their families. For the older students, they are an opportunity to look for part time employment and gain skills that will benefit them in future. For the school administrators and other workers, the summer vacation provides much needed time to relax and plan for the next school season. Year round schools have denied people such benefits. Students spend most of the time in school and many of them do not enjoy the holidays offered since they are few and in between the year. Year round schools have disadvantages as they have a negative effect on the students, school administrators, and the society.
Administrators in year-round schools often complain of exhaustion and burnouts because they do not get a chance to go for holidays. Year round schools offer limited time for relaxation and this is not adequate for the workers. Many schools have different tracks coming at different times of the year but all of them are served by the same administrators. Thus, the employees rarely get any time to go for vacations. This has led to situations where some of the workers have suffered from internalized stress. They have lost the passion they had for their work because of all the exhaustion. Others have become frustrated with their work (Wildman et al. 465).
Another disadvantage of the year round schools is that it has taken the time that most families use for bonding. Many families across America look forward to the summer holiday. The guaranteed time during the summer holidays gives the family enough time to plan and go for vacations. They share many experiences during the holidays and they get time to bond. Year round schools have robbed American families of this pleasure. Families cannot plan well for vacations since the students do not get enough time to for holidays. In some cases, the system has cause more personal problems in families since the administrators do not get enough time with their spouses and children.
Year round schools have contributed to some level of irresponsibility and it has limited the involvement of the community in children’s lives. People within the community are no longer sure when a child is supposed to be in school since year round schools have different tracks. Wayward children can take advantage of this fact and they can decide to skip school. This is unlike the traditional system where everyone in the community knows the time that the students are supposed to be in school. They can take action if they find children wandering around when they are supposed to be learning (Wildman et al. 466).
Many students use the extended summer holidays not only to relax but also to get part time jobs. Many employers are willing to give them a chance of employment since they know they will do considerable work during the time they are on holiday. This gives the student a chance to learn essential skills, which will benefit them in future. Year round schools have deprived students of this opportunity. Because of the limited time dedicated for holidays, students do not get the chance to work and relax. Moreover, many employers would not consider employing someone who will only work for less than twenty days, which is what most students on the year round systems get for holiday time. In addition, summers are an important period for students to enrich their lives, develop social interactions, gain cultural experience, and create memories. Some children get the opportunity of going for summer camps, which act as learning experiences for most of them. There are many different summer camps dealing with diverse issues such as arts, sports, and sciences among others. Students get the chance to learn outside the classroom and they increase their knowledge on diverse areas (O’ Sullivan 410). Year round schools deny the students such opportunities and they have to be content with the information they receive from the teachers during normal school days.
Year round schools have a negative impact on the economy. Over the years, many people have adjusted to the traditional calendar system. Businesses have developed structures that have enabled them to take advantage of the summer vacation. This is especially the case with many entertainment sites such as amusement parks, and tourism spots. This has helped in growing local economies in terms of promoting tourism and providing jobs for the people who work there. Year round schools have changed the way people travel and this has a negative impact on the economy. Some business owners have complained of loss of business because of the short summer seasons, which do not allow students sufficient time to travel to different areas (O’ Sullivan 410). Other than the tourism and entertainment industries, many other sectors including transportation, food service, and childcare get a lot of business during the long summer vacation (Patall, Cooper, and Allen 405)
Year round schools enhance learning and they lead to student improvement. The long summer vacations are detrimental to student learning. Students tend to forget much of what they have learnt during the long holidays (O’Sullivan 395). On the other hand, year round schools ensure that students get time to relax at reasonable time, while at the same time ensure that they continue to learn. In addition, students are able to get remediation and they participate in enrichment activities, which improve their learning outcomes (McMillen 68). Although proponents of year round schools tend to think that students under this system improve their performance, this is not necessarily the case. Research indicates that students in year round systems do not differ with students in traditional systems (McMullen et al. 250)
Year round schools have many
disadvantages. They affect students, administrators, the economy, and families
negatively. Administrators lose the passion for their work and they are
frustrated because of all the exhaustion. Students do not get the time to bond
with their families since there are fewer days for vacation. The economy is
affected negatively because of the shortened holiday time. In addition, there
is no significant difference between the students in the traditional system and
those under the year round school system.
Annotated Bibliography:
McMillen, Bradley J. A Statewide Evaluation of Academic Achievement in Year-Round Schools. The Journal of Educational Research 95.2 (2001):67-75
The author uses data from North Carolina public schools to examine the differences between year round schools and the traditional calendar system. He observes that there is a slight improvement of the student’s performance in year round schools but that difference is not substantial.
McMullen, Steven. The Impact of Year-Round Schooling on Academic Achievement: Evidence from Mandatory School Calendar Conversions. American Economic Journal 4.4 (2012): 230-252
The article examines whether year round schools have any advantages over schools using the traditional systems in the performance and achievement of students. The research indicates that adoption of year round system does not have any effect on students’ achievement and it does not benefit any group of students.
O’Sullivan, Mary T. The Ten-Month School Year: Are We Ignoring Educational Research in Order to Preserve Summer Vacation? Finding a compromise between educational advancement and over-schooling. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 2 (2013): 395-415
The author advocates for a year round system in schools, citing the drawbacks of the traditional calendar systems. She suggests that since students lose a lot of knowledge during the long summer holidays, schools should consider adopting the year round system.
Patall, Erika A., Harris Cooper, and Ashley, Allen B. Extending the School Day or School Year: A Systematic Review of Research (1985-2009). Review of Educational Research 80.3 (2010): 401-436
The article examines both sides of the argument by reviewing research conducted since 1985 to 2009. It highlights the positives and drawbacks of year round schools to the students, teachers, and the society. It also highlights the effects of school systems in different countries around the world.
Wildman, Louis et al. The Effect of Year-Round Schooling on Administrators. Education 119.3 (1999): 465-472
This article examines the effect that year round schooling has on school administrators. It gives the experiences of different administrators working in year round schools and it includes information from those who support the system and those who oppose it.