Longer School Days Equal Success

There has been recent debate taking place in congress about whether the amount of school days should be increased across the country. Heated debates on this topic have been rapidly increasing since the Reagan administration. The number of school days should be extended, because demands on students have increased, the US needs to keep up with the global market, and a longer school year would decrease summer learning loss.

Because demands to learn more in a school year have been placed on children in recent years, the school year should be extended. The new Michigan Merit Curriculum has increased learning expectations for every grade including raising the credit requirements for high school students. Children in pre-school programs are learning what children in kindergarten learned just three years ago. Children K-12 are required to receive two credits of foreign language, which cannot include English. Along with the foreign language requirement, the minimum number of credits needed for high school graduation is 16 credits. Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, and PE all have a certain number of specified conditions that must be met to be qualified to receive a diploma. (Michigan Department of Education, 2008, p. 1). These requirements have increased throughout the years, but the amount of school days have not been extended to aid in the completion of these requirements.

Even with the increased requirements, test scores in the Unites Stares are lower than countries boasting longer school years. According to 2007 statistics comparing math scores in participating countries for both fourth-grade elementary and eighth-grade middle school students, the United States scored significantly lower than many other countries including those with a longer school year. With average score set at 500, China scored 576 for fourth and 598 for eighth-grade. Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Russia, and England all scored in the mid to upper 500’s. These scores are higher in both grades than the United States, which only scored 529 for fourth-grade, and 508 for eighth-grade. (Gonzales, et al., 2009, p. 7). In a global economy, with the outsourcing of many of US jobs, our children need to intellectually match if not excel beyond these countries. The future of America is in the hands of our children, and with these statistics, our children will have a difficult time finding a job in the global market.

The higher test scores in the previously mentioned countries, China, Hong Kong, Korea Japan, etc., have a direct relationship with the number of school days that their children attend. The countries that have higher test scores also have a larger number of school days. “One reason that the students throughout this country do poorly… is that they attend school considerably fewer days per year. For example, the instructional calendar in Germany is 188 days, Japan 220 days, and Korea 222 days.” (Other Policy Positions Supported by DOE, 2003). England, Russia, and China also have more days in their school calendar than the United States. This shows the need for days to be added to the school K-12 year.

The number of school days should be extended to decrease summer learning loss. Teachers struggle with learning loss, known as “summer set back,” and increasing the number of days in the school year will help eliminate this problem. I have seen this first hand with my children. Their reading level would be lower at the beginning of the school year than it was at the end of the previous year. They also would struggle with math concepts that they had learned the previous year. This was difficult to watch as a parent even though it was normal and typical for most students. The cycle continued until I decided to home school them during the summer. Summer instruction kept them from experiencing summer learning loss, increased their happiness at school, and increased their learning success. This is only one of the examples of how teaching throughout the summer can increase learning and retention. A longer school year would benefit all children by decreasing the summer break, and therefore decreasing the amount of summer learning loss.

There are questions that a longer school year raises. A longer school year would require greater maintenance on schools, energy bills would raise, school officials would need to work more hours, and teachers would deserve a pay increase. With the economy in a sorry state, and education funding already cut, how is this economically feasible? The estimated cost in increasing the school year just 5 days is around $90 million and 45 days $800 million. (Students and their studies: Classroom time is invaluable, 2009, para. 8). This concern cannot outweigh the need for a longer school year. The learning and achievement that will come out of a longer school year must take prescience over the amount of money spent on our children’s education.

In addition to the concern of payment for education reform, others do not believe that a longer school year will increase test scores. If we look at the data proved above, we can see clearly the relationship between longer school years and higher test scores. America is importing specialists and outsourcing jobs because our education system has not kept up with other countries such as China, Japan, England, and Russia. Each of these countries has longer school years than the United States, Germany with 188 days, Japan with 220 days, and Korea with 222 days. (Other Policy Positions Supported by DOE, 2003). In addition, each of these countries accomplished higher test scores than the United States. (Gonzales, et al., 2009, p. 7). There is no research supporting this opposition, but there is plenty of research and statistics supporting a longer school year.

Another opposition to a longer school year is the impact that a longer school year will have on after school activities, camps. After school activities were created to help keep children off the streets after school, away from drugs, and keep them out of trouble. A longer school year will make up for the need to have after school activities, while not eliminating the sports and other positive activities. In effect, it will keep children off the streets longer than the current school schedule. Keeping children in the positive environment of school will be a greater encouragement to stay off drugs and out of trouble. It will strengthen our children’s future, and still provide room for sports activities such as football, baseball, and track.
In addition to the concerns mentioned above, parents worry that children will miss school to go on vacations that were once planned during the long summer months. The truth is that with a longer school year, vacation time will be spread out. While it is true that the summer vacation will not be three months, there will still be plenty of time during the school year and during the summer to plan and take vacations. A shorter summer would be a bigger benefit to students than it would a hindrance to family vacations. A shorter summer break is worth the price for greater retention and achievement in our children.

Demands on students have increased, the US needs to keep up with the global market, and a longer school year would decrease summer learning loss these reasons all outweigh any opposition to extending the number of school days. The future of our children is worth more than the money it would take to increase school days, and worth more than a long summer.

References

Gonzales, P. Williams, T., Jocelyn, L., Roey, S. Kastberg, D., Brenwald, S., & Westat.(2009, September). Highlights from TIMSS 2007: Mathematics and Science Achievement of U.S. Fourth-and Eighth-Grade Students in an International Context. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved on October 12, 2009 from http://nces.ed.gov/Pubsearch/pubinfo.asp?pubid=2009001

Michigan Department of Education. (2008, March). Michigan Merit Curriculum High School Graduation Requirements. Retrieved October 16, 2009 from, www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/FAQ_-_Entire_Document_12.07_217841_7.pdf - 2008-03-05

Other Policy Positions Supported by DOE. (2003). Retrieved October 17, 2009 from http://www.doe.in.gov/legalwatch/2003/page03.html

Students and their studies: Classroom time is invaluable. (2009, October 12). The Anniston Star. Gale. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Retrieved on October 17, 2009.