As districts embark on their well-deserved summer break, others are using this time as an opportunity to continue learning for students. Year-round schooling is the latest trend among leaders hoping to tackle learning loss, but will it pay off?
As of 2018, nearly 3% of all public schools leveraged year-round schooling—also known as a “balanced calendar”—, according to the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Now, one of the largest districts in the country is buying into the idea.
The School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington Sr. recently unveiled the district’s new five-year plan, which includes a pilot program for year-round and extended day learning in several of its schools.
“Many SDP students are not meeting grade-level standards, and require opportunities for accelerated learning to catch up,” the strategic plan reads. “During Listening and Learning Sessions, students and teachers discussed wanting more opportunities to participate in programming before and after the traditional school day and highlighted the benefits of spending structured time with their peers beyond the hours of the current school day.”
The program itself is often misconstrued due to its name, but it’s essentially the same 180 days of instruction divided up differently, Holt Public Schools Superintendent David Hornak told Marketplace. He also leads the National Association for Year-Roud Education.
“We start in August, take a week off in October, take a full week off at Thanksgiving, your typical two in December, early January,” he said.
He also highlighted some of its advantages, including more time for teachers to recharge, steady access to school meals for those who rely on them and extra opportunities for academic help.
Florida is also looking to pilot a new four-year program for year-round schooling throughout the entire state beginning the 2024-25 school year. According to State Sen. Linda Steward, D-Orlando, its purpose is to see if learning losses actually suffer over summer break.
“When they start the new year, at the new grade level, they have to review everything they learned from the last semester that they were in school,” she told Click Orlando. “So, they have to do a lot more before they can even get to their grade-level learning.”
She also noted that the program may be a better solution for parents experiencing barriers to summer daycare.
“A lot of times, both parents work,” she said. “They don’t have places for their kids to go, and I think the year-round school might allow them to feel better that their child is in school, and learning.”
But will it be effective? There are several pros and cons to balanced calendars, as outlined in a blog post from the Public School Review, a website that provides free, detailed profiles of U.S. public schools. For leaders contemplating adopting such a schedule, consider these factors:
Pros
- Helps maintain students’ knowledge and skills gained during the previous school year.
- Helps keep students accustomed to the traditional school schedule.
- Potentially increases retention rates and higher test scores.
Cons
- Criticism from parents surrounding shorter summers.
- It may disrupt students’ summer obligations, including part-time jobs.
