I saw a post at Slashdot that asked if we needed a longer school year. (That post has links to stories arguing in favor of a longer year.)
Well, do you think we should we have a longer year? Alternatively, should school sessions be spaced more evenly throughout the calendar year? Perhaps both: a longer year and more even spacing?
I’d start with a more even spacing, and only afterward think about expanding the days in school. What do you think?
I say yes (make changes) but only if there’s a concrete benefit (performance gains vs. added expenses, if any). Your answer makes me think you believe the academic gains would justify a different distribution of school days. Otherwise, you may think that academic performance would be the same but a different schedule would simply be cheaper.
I’m not sure which it is.
?
For years, I’ve thought that a different distribution of days within the year would boost performance (since not so much off-time) and would be cost-beneficial.
A collection of research in favor may be found at the National Association for Year-Round Education (http://www.nayre.org.)
One could change (if so inclined) by adding more days, going to a year-round system with no additional days, or by both adding days and changing the schedule.
Of these, I’d change the schedule before I’d add days.
seems good enough for now unless other schools change also
Kids need time to just be kids!
it would be easier to see if changes were worthwhile if people could compare two similar schools in districts that were close to each other:
one would be traditional and the other one that had a new schedule