Rethinking the Calendar (ShiftEd21: #9)

While research about the real impact of year-round schooling – and potentially adding days to the calendar – is still somewhat limited and often contradictory, the idea has gained a lot of momentum over the past several years. Notably, President Obama is among its vocal advocates. In Shift Ed, we argue in favor of year-round schooling, but with the caveat that some of the other changes we favor – especially tighter integration of schools into communities – are critical for it achieve the desired results.

The following video highlights some of the major points in the debate over rear-round schooling, and covers one of the major arguments in its favor – that it can help prevent learning loss, particularly in students from low income families.

If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of the topic, covering pros and cons, we recommend Who Benefits from Summer Vacation?, an audio interview on the North Carolina Public Radio show The State of Things.

As always, please share what you think.