Should the school year be longer?

[YES]

We are trying to fit the needs of today's students into a traditional calendar developed decades ago, and that doesn't work any better than my trying to fit into my outfits of 30 years ago!

Our students simply need to know more. The world they will enter demands much more than it used to. How often do you try to prioritize what to teach and then find that you never get to the "other" things that are also important?

And how many of us would like to see our schools have full programs in physical education, health, art, music, and world languages, but there's no time?              

This is the age of accountability, and so far that means the age of assessment. We have added many hours of testing without lengthening the school year, so we have lost precious instructional time.

We don't even have time to reflect on the test results, give students feedback, and then encourage them to try again. We merely race on. Maybe with an extended calendar these assessments could truly be for learning, not just of learning!         

It is also the age of "all" kids. We are supposed to help all students achieve, and we know much more about how to meet their different learning styles. But there is precious little time for them to do hands-on projects, work collaboratively in groups, give presentations, or get engaged in service learning.

It may seem that our students already have as much school as they can stand, but with more time, we could be more creative, and they would learn more.

Then there is the long summer break and the struggle to resume school after it. Yes, many students are involved in summertime learning of all kinds. But these opportunities are not available to all, and so the inequities continue.         

Many other countries have school years of 200 days or more. I am convinced that although tradition is a big hurdle, the main obstacle is that we have yet to make funding schools our priority.

Grace Leavitt teaches Spanish at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine.

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[NO]

As I write this in the middle of March, teachers are concentrating on how to maximize their students' test scores and how to ensure that they're prepared for the next grade, right? No, not really. The truth is that teachers are pondering two things this month: what to do for summer vacation and how to get through a month with no legal holidays.

Oh, the shock! Aren't teachers supposed to be altruistic examples of selflessness? Shouldn't teachers want to work year-round in order to better educate the students? The answer is an unequivocal no. Teachers are human. We suffer from burnout as much as any other occupation. But unlike many others, we are responsible for turning out well-educated students who can succeed in college and in life. That's why we need our summer break. It is a time to relax, recharge our batteries, and regain our patience, the latter of which is paramount to being an effective teacher.

One might think students would benefit from a longer school year. They would have more time to learn the curriculum before standardized testing, and lessons could be taught in many ways to meet their diverse learning styles. 

In a perfect world, maybe. Chances are that we would be required to cram more information into the curriculum. Students, like teachers, are only human. They can handle only so much education before suffering information overload.

Many other countries have a longer school year, but those countries treat their children like small adults. Our students need the summer to relax, play, and act like children before returning to school in the fall.

Yes, they may forget information in the meantime, but let's face it—they'll do the same thing over the weekend.

Extending the school year would result in irritable teachers, disinterested students, and even lower test scores. Tak-ing a summer break is a necessary evil.  

Dorothy Moody is a first-year math and science teacher at Jehue Middle School in Rialto, California.

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Voting Results

Should teachers let failing students pass by doing an "extra credit" assignment?

The tally on the question in the April 2005 issue of NEA Today:

28% Yes  

72% No