Going to school year round does not mean that students will end up with no summer break, or that they will attend school more days during a single calendar year. Schools that provide year round school simply attempt to balance the calendar in order to minimize student learning attrition over the long summer break by providing shorter, more frequent breaks.

First, let’s look at a typical 9 month school year calendar:

School usually starts in August after about 60 days off for summer vacation. Thanksgiving break provides 3 days off, winter break (or Christmas break) provides approximately 10 days off and spring break (or Easter break) provides students with approximately 5 days off. The long summer break is well known for causing students to forget or lose ground, often referred to as the “summer slide”.

Balancing the calendar so that the long summer break is minimized is thought to help eliminate this “summer slide” and results in what is termed “year-round school”. This method has students only off for 30 days during the summer. Fall break is added to the calendar at about 15 days, Thanksgiving remains at about 3 days off, and winter and spring break are extended to be approximately 15 days each. This helps to spread out the time students have off of school and provides less time for losing ground, allowing students to gain more ground in their studies.

Does Year-Round School Work?

There are many reports provided on the NAYRE website that show various groups and organizations that are advocating for a balanced school calendar, and research shows that students in a low socio-economic status lose more knowledge over the summer than their high SES counterparts, emphasizing the need for something to change over the summer.

There will always be proponents for and against year-round school. Both sides of the argument will be equally passionate about their stand. The very fact that public education is a democracy run by the government will cause any major changes like this more difficult to standardize, but I ask one question:

If you agree that something needs to change in order to improve schools, why shouldn’t a radical change like this be considered instead of rehashing old ideas of teacher education/test scores/incentive pay/etc.?

Related posts:

1. Prince George’s County Schools to Go Year Round
2. Report Card Comments for the End of the School Year
3. The Importance of Summer Tutoring

First, create or tweak your classroom management plan. This is important because only when your students are obeying the rules and on task will great learning take place in the classroom. If you are a returning teacher, think about what worked and what did not work, and find something new to add to your classroom management plan. It may also be helpful to become familiar with individualized behavior plans.

Second, create a curriculum map or review previous lesson plans. If the curriculum is new, a curriculum map will cut down on lesson planning time during the first quarter. If the curriculum is not new, reviewing the first few weeks worth of lesson plans will help prepare you for the new year.

Here are some more great tips for preparing for the first day of school.

Related posts:

1. Free Lesson Planning Resource
2. Back to School List for Teachers
3. Organizing Lesson Plans

Here is an article that outlines two great sites for parents and even teachers to take some time to check out. Back to School Online Games

Related posts:

1. Phonics Games
2. 20 Places to Get Free Homeschooling Resources Online
3. Mom, Sit Here!

Some children do not need to worry about the “summer slide” because they are quick to remember and begin gaining ground again in the fall. Other children slide further than they are able to catch back up in a short period of time in the fall and need additional help over the summer. Still other children need extra help over the summer to be on grade level in the fall because they struggled through the school year.

Students who have specific learning disabilities have the biggest need for the additional help of summer tutoring. Find out more about who needs summer tutoring.

Related posts:

1. Preparing the Classroom for Summer
2. Report Card Comments for the End of the School Year
3. The Controversy of Year-Round School

Teachers, you do not have to fight your students to get them to pay attention! Make changes in your routine in order to keep your students in line and get through the day. Some ideas include:

• Extra recess at the end of the day for good behavior (this will end the day early!)
• Play educational games
• do an art project or other different activity that will keep their attention

Need more ideas? Check out What to Teach the Day Before Break

While you’re at it, get ready for that first day back from break with Activities for Students After Holiday Break

Have a great spring break!

Related posts:

1. The Controversy of Year-Round School
2. Take a Break
3. Spring Fever in the Classroom