Picture yourself on summer vacation. You are probably seeing yourself on trips with your family, relaxing and learning new things along the way. But wait, that will all soon change. Instead of being outside having fun in the sun, you will be stuck in school working from dawn until dusk. Schools are planning on extending their school year by 20 days over the next ten years. President Obama says, "that the U.S. needs more school because kids in other nations have more school." So, if your competitors jump off a bridge, should you? More days of school doesn't equate to higher test scores. Extending the school year will be costly to the schools and the tourism business. Also a traditional school year builds well-rounded adults. The bottom line is extending the school year 20 days will not help kids learn anymore or the ecnomy do any better.
More days of school doesn't equal higher test scores. Currently the United States goes to school for 180 days for 12 years. Japan goes to school for 223 days, but are only mandated nine years of school. If going to school for more days means higher test scores then the United States should surpass Japan because of a 153 day difference of mandatory school. In the U.S. there are a number of year round school systems. California is a state that has one of the highest number of year round schools. In the National Assesment of Education Progress in reading in 1998 showed California with only 20% of their students at or above proficient. The highest ranking states on tests like the ACT and SAT go the same standard number of days as the lowest ranking states. There have been 30 school districts in Ohio that have considered a year round schedule, but decided against it because there are no documented benefits. So, if a school is performing poorly, it could be teachers and their curriculums or that parental involvment isn't there, so how much good would extra days do.
Extending the school year will be costly to the schools and the tourism business. Extending the school year in Ohio with a bad economy isn't a good idea. With the tourism business bringing in $38 billion in 2007, it is easy to see that it is a big source of income. It will also take $3.5 billion to implement the extended school year immediately. Over the course of the next two years 925 million more dollars will be given to schools. But, the big question is where will all this money come from? It won't just appear out of thin air. No one has a plan at the moment of how they are going to pay for the extended school year. It is not wise to implement a plan without knowing how to pay for it. The extending of the school year will be costly to the economy and the people of Ohio.
A tradtional school year builds well-rounded adults. A school superintendent from Japan said, "We wish our schools were more like American schools because all our students know how to do is take tests." Summer is a time that calls for kids to be kids. During summer vacation children do a thing called summer learning which isn't measures on any tests. Kids go on mission trips, to summer camps, specialty camps, and vacations with family. Children learn how to work together and interact with others towards a common goal. It gives kids time to work on talents that they might not be able to fully develop at school. The summer gives teens time to have a summer job or intership that opens up carrer paths to them that they didn't know were available. Summer gives parents time to reconnect and have time to spend with their kids. It gives children time to see distant relatives that they can't visit during the school year. Kids can play sports such as baseball and meet new people which lets them form new friendships and bonds. And lastly kids get tired like everyone else. We get sick of cramming for hard tests, writing long essays, doing homework, and trying to have our own lives at the same time. We need a rest, a chance to catch our breath and not have to worry or stress out. we need time to be carefree kids while we still have a chance. As you can tell summer is important and develops skills that can be used throughout a lifetime.
Extending the school year 20 days will not help kids learn anymore or help the economy. People say that a longer school year will give students more time to learn the material. This isn't true because kids who do have year round school don't do better than normal students on tests. Also if a student doesn't want to learn they aren't going to, no matter how long you keep them in school because they don't care. Others have said a shorter summer will give the students less time to forget what they have learned. Year round schols have long breaks during their school year which makes it harder for students to keep up with their studies. More days doesn't equal higher test scores. Extending the school year will be costly to schools and the tourism business. And a traditional school year builds well-rounded adults. Schools need to have a better curriculums and teacher training. Schools can have summer school for kids who fail classes and they can retake them. Schools could also hold kids back and not just pass them through; most students won't want to be held back while all their friends move up a grade. So, let kids keep their summer its as important to them as a break from work is to you.