Bridget, Sana, Emma, Susie

A school that is “year round” means that it will operate on a regular 180 day system (sometimes more), but reorder the breaks of the school year. One example of year round school is the plan. In this plan students attend school for 45 days and then are off for 3 weeks. Summer breaks in year round school are shorter (6-8 weeks). “Year round education is a very complex topic with many variables that must be considered, not the least of which is the motivation behind a school district's decision to change their current calendar.” WHAT IS YEAR ROUND SCHOOL?

 Students tend to forget what they have learned while they are on Summer vacation.  Schools that are not used in the summer are inefficient.  It is easier to schedule vacations with all of the breaks.  Short breaks allow for students to receive enrichment education.  More students can be accommodated at one school through multi-tracking.  Studies are inconclusive to it’s academic benefits.  Extracurricular programs could be affected because of scheduling around the school year.  If the entire school district does not go to year round then parents can have children at different schools on different schedules.  With multi-tracking, parents could have children at the SAME school on different schedules. ForAgainst PROS AND CONS

o Student “I would not like to go to a year round school because I have friends and family that go to a traditional school. I wouldn’t be able to see them because of our different breaks.” o Parent “Having more than one child can be an issue with all of the mixed scheduling.” o Teacher “Children spend too much wasted time as it is in schools. We do not need to extend the time they are in school, it should be shortened and intensified allowing more learning to occur. Several short breaks will only mean more time spent reviewing. Yes, students do lose a little over summer break, but they would also lose over each of the shorter breaks. There is more to life than sitting in a classroom.” o Principal “Switching to year round school requires so much support. The staff, parents, and students would all be affected by a change that might not be as effective as the traditional school year that we have now.” CONSIDERING OPINIONS

Many school districts found that year round school is more expensive (air conditioning during summer months). Since 1980, 95% of schools trying Year-Round School have returned to a TRADITIONAL calendar. Year round school will disrupt traditional family and community activities. Year round school causes a loss of extra income provided by summer jobs. Year-Round School does not significantly improve education. WHERE WE STAND: FACTS

If your school is considering year round school: -Contact the school board for dates and times of meetings that are scheduled to talk about year round school. To educate yourself on the issue: -Follow the links below pros-cons.htm GETTING INVOLVED

  schooling/ schooling/  ml ml  county/2011/mar/01/east-clayton-elementary- parents-sound-about-year-r-ar / county/2011/mar/01/east-clayton-elementary- parents-sound-about-year-r-ar / RESOURCES