When considering the view that homework is harmful, author and speaker Alfie Kohn states that there is no real evidence showing homework to be beneficial to elementary students. In an EdWeek article, he writes that he found no correlation between homework and improved standardized assessment scores.
Students in year-round schools do as well or slightly better in terms of academic achievement than students in traditional schools. Year-round education may be particularly beneficial for students from low-income families.
Year-round schools follow an on-again, off-again schedule; they usually have two to three months on and one to three weeks off. For some students, it can be difficult to refocus after each break. It may take some time to get back into their usual school routine.
Students who are enrolled in a year-round school attend school the same number of days as students on a traditional calendar schedule. A year-round school calendar is organized into nine-week quarters. Each quarter is separated by a three-week break called an intersession.
The frequent breaks offered by year round schooling give kids more opportunities to relax and let some of that stress slide away. Not only that, it reduces teacher stress and increases the quality of their instruction as a result.
Year-round school: An approach to school calendars in which instructional days are spread over the course of the entire year, instead of broken up by a single long summer break. Some year-round schools have longer-than-average school years; others spread the standard number of days over a longer stretch of time.
Students will do more than just learn better in a year-round school. Teachers and students experience a closer relationship in year-round schools than they do in traditional, shorter-calendar-year schools. In the absence of any long-term break from school, students do not feel detached from the school environment.
Balanced calendars are calendars in which the typical summer vacation of twelve weeks is reduced to eight weeks or less. Breaks (typically called intercessions) of two week or longer breaks are given to students in the fall, winter break (around the holidays) and a two week break (or longer) is given in the spring.
States That Have Year Round School
- California.
- Arkansas.
- Florida.
- Illinois.
- Iowa.
- Michigan.
- Minnesota.
- New Mexico.
A summer break also helps relieve some of the pressure experienced during the academic year. As unexpected as it may seem, students would benefit more by focusing on themselves during the summer, working on personal projects and simply relaxing.
Along with relaxation, summer break brings unique opportunities to learn and develop social skills. New educational and social experiences can happen at the park, or during family vacations and other outings where children can freely and organically practice appropriate interactions.
