#19 - 09/03/07 11:03 AM
Year Round Schools
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Heather
Administrator
old hand
Registered: 07/20/07
Posts: 897
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"Year Round Schools - Should We Scrap Long Summer Breaks?"
by Andrew Nikiforuk
Almost every debate on educational reform involves support for year-round
schooling. The old agrarian model of nine months on and two-plus off, so
the arguement goes, is inefficient and outdated. More important, kids may
retain more of what they're taught without that long stretch away from the
books. But before we jump on this bandwagon, let's look at the potential
profit-and-loss columns. Year-round schooling started 20 years ago in the
U.S. as a way to cut costs and ease overcrowding. By having several tracks
of children on different schedules all year(each functioning as a
mini-school), administrators could stretch their budgets by at least 25
percent.
The experiment took off in California, Texas, and Florida where school
populations were exploding and where half of some 2,000 U.S. year-round
schools are now located. But to date it has failed in impress educators
inother U.S. jurisdictions and most Canadian provinces. British Columbia
has looked at the option and Alberta is trying out the concept in a few
schools. This low level of enthusiasm may reflect the fact that no one has
clearly answered the question that matters the most: Does year-round
schooling actually improve student learning?
Researchers agree that a long, lazy break can induce academic amnesia in
some children. And disadvantaged children who have little access to books,
camps or quality summer activities generally lose more learning than their
middle-class peers. But will a 12 month academic calendar close this gap? U.S.
studies comparing traditional and year-round schools show mixed results.
Upon completing a comprehensive research analysis, the British Columbia
Teachers' Federation recently concluded that when students in year-round
schools do better in English or math, it's likely because their schools
have also introduced other changes, such as a more structured curriculum
and increased testing and monitoring. In other words, the quality of
teaching and the rigour of the curriculum still matter more than any
calendar changes.
At least one Canadian elementary school that has embrace the 12 month
calendar is happy with it. Connie Zerger, princpal of Riverbend School in
Calgary
wonders why the concept hasn't caught on elsewhere. Riverbend was created
as a year-round school five years ago not, like some of its counterparts,
to save money, but to prevent local pupils from having to be sent to a
distant school. With its four-track system, Riverbend reports higher
productivity and less burnout as well as higher retention rates and better
attendance-for both teachers and students.
"In traditional schools, students are pumped when they leave for the summer
and when they come back in September. We have that kind of excitement for
school and learning throughout the entire year, because there are always
students coming and going," Zerger says.
Schools, of course, tend to give high marks to any innovation, but many
parents still wonder if children in a cold northern country should be
sitting in school throughout the month of July.
At the end of the day, the research on year-round schools says three
things: schools could definately use time in better ways; the year-round
school is just another option; it does not guarantee improved achievement."
Andrew Nikiforuk's bio (amongst other things) can be found at:
http://www.andrewnikiforuk.com/schools.htm
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#42 - 09/23/07 01:43 PM
Re: Year Round Schools
[Re: George]
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Shirley
stranger
Registered: 09/11/07
Posts: 1
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Mr. Andrew Nikiforuk's latest book "Pandemonium" was noted at an event I was at yesterday. Apparentlly the reviews were great. I plan on reading it.
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The Schools We Need
