YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLING? WILL IT FIX

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS?

Brought to you by:

John BarnesEnglish 8-12

What is Summer Learning Loss?

According to Dr. Harris Cooper,

University of Missouri, “All students

(including the best) lose in math and

spelling skills, and many, though not all,

lose in reading skills over the traditional

summer.” See http://www.nayre.org/

SUMMER BREAK HAS BEEN AROUND FOR

AGES!

→ Milton Chen, Senior Fellow, The George Lucas Educational Foundation – summer break started back in our agrarian society!

FROM NAYRE -- TRADITIONAL SCHOOL CALENDAR LOOKS

LIKE THIS:

WHAT WOULD YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL LOOK LIKE?

*WHAT BENEFITS ARE THERE?

● GLORIA CHIAKA, EDUCATIONWORLD.COM, LISTS THE GOOD STUFF FROM YRS:

~ SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS SAVE MONEY

~ CLASS SIZE REDUCES

~ LESS STUDENT STRESS

~ REDUCES TEACHER BURNOUT

~ INCREASES STUDENT RETENTION

AND ACHIEVEMENT

SUCCESS IN COLORADO!

DENVER’S PROGRAM “SUMMER

SCHOLARS” INVOLVES 2ND AND 3RD GRADERS;

❶ 7 ½ HOURS A DAY

❷ SIX WEEKS DURING THE SUMMER

❸ RESULTS: 78-82% OF 2ND AND 3RD

GRADERS IMPROVED IN DEVELOPMENTAL READING….

YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLING DRAWBACKS

GLORIA CHIAKA DETAILS THE BAD SIDES:

>>>INCREASED ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS

>>>UTILITIES – POWER, WATER, ETC.

>>>MAINTENANCE – BUILDING CLEANUP, ETC.

>>>BUSSING COSTS – MORE TRIPS

EXAMPLE OF INCREASED COSTS…

ERICKA MELLON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE NOTED ESTIMATED COSTS IN HOUSTON

I.S.D.:

$$$$$ $450,000 MORE PER YEAR IN SALARIES FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

$$$$$ $650,000 MORE PER YEAR FOR SALARIES IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL

WHY RESEARCH YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLING?

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: WILL THIS WORK AT MY SCHOOL TO STOP SUMMER LEARNING LOSS?

CAN MY SCHOOL DISTRICT AFFORD THE COSTS?

WOULD PARENTS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS BE IN FAVOR OF YRS?

CAN MY SCHOOL GET FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT YRS?

WHAT DOES THE PUBLIC THINK?

EDUTOPIA.COM TOOK A POLL AND SOME SURPRISING OUTCOMES WERE RECORDED FROM 336 PARTICIPANTS:

72 % BELIEVED THAT SUMMER CAMPS, BOOK CLUBS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES WOULD COUNTERACT SUMMER LEARNING LOSS.

ONLY 8 % BELIEVED IN YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLING.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: http://www.edutopia.org/node/4402/results

OVERRIDING POSITIVE FINDING IS THAT STUDENTS AVOID LEARNING LOSS THROUGH THE SUMMER.

ATTENDANCE AND ASSESSMENT BOTH INCREASE.

SCHOOL DISTRICTS GAIN THROUGH INCREASED STANDARDIZED-TEST SCORING.

IN THE LONG RUN, LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY BENEFITS FROM THE STUDENTS’ INCREASED KNOWLEDGE.

CONCLUSIONS

ReferencesChaika, Gloria (2009, October 16). Is year-round schooling

the answer. Retrieved June 13, 2010 fromhttp://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin137.shtml

Chen, Milton (2010, June 10). Summer, the third trimester.Retrieved June 17, 2010, fromhttp://www.edutopia.org/

Cooper, Harris Dr. (2009, April 21). National Association For Year-Round Education (NAYRE). Common yre questions. Retrieved June 17, 2010, from http://www.nayre.org/

Mellon, Ericka (2010, February 17). HISD pilot program wouldextend school year. [Electronic version]. Houston Chronicle.Retrieved June 13, 2010 fromhttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6872317.html